The Age of Reasons. Ted Greenwald
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been
to or is a
shoulder to shoulder to face
the public
breasting these civilities
friendliness
you find in lobbies
intimate against undue
slowed down your movements
or accidents
on the strength of
shifts in posture
directly across from you, and so forth
and so forth
THE COAST
| Guard 1: | What time’s it? |
| Guard 2: | Don’t know. Left my watch home. |
| Guard 1: | What’s that on your arm? |
| Guard 2: | Bracelet. (Lights cigaret, offers one to Guard 1) |
| Guard 1: | No thanks. (Takes out a box) Want a cough drop? |
| Guard 2: | No. Thanks anyway. Anyone tell you how come we can’t cough? |
| Guard 1: | Secret. It’s okay with me, though. I haven’t had a cough in almost a year. |
| Guard 2: | Me neither. Makes me kind of curious though. Figured, why take chances and bought a box of cough drops on the way over. |
| Guard 1: | The money’s good, so who’s going to complain. |
| Guard 2: | Not me, for sure. |
| Guard 1: | Me neither. |
| (They walk around a little Both wear crepe shoes Flashlights hither and yon Walk back) | |
| Guard 1: | Nothing. |
| Guard 2: | Been that way more than a month now. |
| Guard 1: | Sure wish something would happen. Can’t go on eating cough drops all night. |
| (Third Guard walks up) | |
| Guard 3: | Everything quiet? |
| Guard 2: | Not a peep. Nothing. |
| Guard 1: | Nothing. Everything quiet where you been? |
| Guard 3: | Not a sound. Been on this job more than a year, not a sound. Haven’t missed a night either. |
| (Fourth Guard walks in) | |
| Guard 4: | Hear anything? |
| Guard 3: | Nothing. |
| Guard 4: | Been doing this two years and not a peep. Two years now. Good job, though. Nice and quiet. |
| Guard 1: | Sort of gets to you a little. |
| Guard 4: | Just in the beginning. You get used to it. |
| Guard 1: | I’m sure it’ll go away. I’m not worried about that. |
| Guard 3: | Nothing to worry about, that’s for sure. |
| Guard 2: | Nothing to worry about here. |
| Guard 3: | Anything down the line? |
| Guard 4: | Nothing. Up the line? |
| Guard 3: | Quiet. These guys haven’t got a thing here. I guess it’s all quiet all over. |
POEM
theirs
dug in the hangars
wag away like idiots at a bird
the broad ball rolling through a dream lake
quickens, feeling the wind, the breath, quicken
like a scarf caught by a gust
a cigaret
finds itself reading in a hand
making cutouts
from such real emotions
as love
as transcendence
somehow all look like smoke
the cares that have piled up pile-drive
into the skull of tomorrow
resting on the desk of today to accept neat ashes
zeros are at 4 o’clock
while 4 o’clocks bloom at five
at 12:05 pm, mayday, a lady leaves
YOU
you’re looking forward
to something, and your faces
show it, something!
I stand over the smoke
entranced with your look
the beauty of your skin,
how much I love you
do I feel as much
if you were or when you
are ugly a slight turn
to the right makes me wonder
IN THE MEANTIME
our letters
develop envelopes
to walk
to ride
to bounce
sightseeing
often off
human responses
IT’S ASKING
it’s asking
too much to ask about
the view when the day,
one of days pulled
in the cold shoulder,
is putting edges on rooves
to look out is
interesting enough to be
around is icing
so why say anything
SUNNYSIDE UP
My fine hand rubs across the knobs on the orange furniture Each few nubs was like a little prayer bead worrying into the sky in search of shape Laffs oiled all the woods when a dream in ocher walked in the crazy trapdoor at the back of my brain The bronze muted the harsh thoughts in the triplex where one traveled by light from level to level
I was listening to the brown in my favorite elevator
A bois de rose commingled with a mist of vert bouteille that was jewish in texture mediterranean in outlook and middle american both before and after reason above rinsing like a cross between a print dress and a snowsuit
Sit Eat Have some grapes My toes grazing cement and aqua from the decline of the chaise longue (adjust to desired height)
The music was so wonderful I could feel it gritting my teeth rising through my fingers to the back of my hand into wrist and OUCH (shit!) banged my elbow Right in the funny bone That’s smart
This tan this is all a lot of hooey
Not long ago I ran into an old beau as a matter of fact my very first beau on the street And I was so shocked His wife was so nice And she smiled the whole time even when my old flame reached right under my dress to see if it was the me I guess he remembered He was really surprised that it was And I was too I thought
I’d forgotten all that And we made plans to get together for dinner and a sail
He gave her that clean contemporary look that had little dick in large writing
And so The Bronzes have packed the car and left for two weeks for destination unknown
When we got up to the lake there was more swimming boating and barbecues than a soul could handle even with tongs In two weeks this should last us till next year By the second week I was thinking about work and home And everything I was raring to go
So we went with the orange Rather leathery along the lifeline of the hand The couch in its comfort is now stuck like a bone somewhere in the region of the shoulder The lake was shaped like a lamb chop From the sky the lake