anomalies in the nuclear degree
a bomb went off in the alleyway today…
and from my office window I could almost smell
the ashes from flicked cigarettes
rising on nuclear wind and defying gravity.
waves bounced off reflective window
walls, projecting dystopic reality
like Midge’s parlor walls, glitching.
while fire consumed alleyway trash, a mirage
tucked the heated streets in tight and momentarily
Babylon’s tower stood tall.
but the longer I stared, the faster the blacktop melted
like quicksand. consuming floor after floor
until I was street level with the destruction
Bus Fare Perspective
Stepping onto the same “route 21” bus I rode most afternoons,
I noticed that the heater wasn’t working that winter evening.
I was freezing, but my home was warm and getting closer with each stop.
Trying to ease my mind off the numbing cold, and the hour still to go,
I rest my forehead against vibrating window glass.
It was hard to look past the glare of city lights or
the fog of warm breath
but life bleeds through its filters and forced me to watch.
I saw the bundled-up “bums”
holding cigarettes in their ripped gloves.
They huddled up, sharing heat and cold symptoms
and their 5 o’clock crack pipe wisdom.
Suddenly the bus didn’t seem so cold.
I found warmth in warmth assured
while watching a lady jump headfirst into the dumpster,
chasing comfort like it was a high school fever dream.
Except prom queens and football teams just don’t seem important
when bad moods are a given
and popularity is an afterthought 12 years and a recession in the making.
I am sweating through my sweater now.
A $2 fare burns like coal and the engines are overheating.
Rambling Man
“I’m rambling” says the rambling man.
“I’m happy” says the rambling man…
Happy rambler
Jolly rancher
Sweet.
Sweet syrup and sour colors.
Rainbow fun
Under sun coated rain clouds
Insanely happy.
Happily, insane.
Reach for the stars, sip on some rain
I’m rambling. I’m in pain.
Jolly Rancher teeth
Click and chip
Chips all in on black
Or red…
Eat my heart out,
Rambling man’s dead.
Photography Credit: Jason Rice
