We worked it out I come from Eskilstuna where the kiosks come up I come from Alexandria where the asphalt was invented I come from Teaneck with its sharks in quicksand I come from Feasterville so you have no upper upper hand
We called it out I come from Bergenfield where the floods did come I come from New Milford where no children smile I come from River Vale with its bushes of baseball bats I come from Doylestown so you best not relax
We tore it up I come from Eden Prairie where the warmth is palatable I come from Eden Prairie again where the earth is flat I come from Brea with its music 'til four in the morning I come from Minneapolis where swift lifts make for soft pulls
We made it shiny I come from Pomona so all your threats are empty, empty I come from Pasadena where the ping-pong is dusty I come from Monrovia where hearts are down and dusky I come from Newbury Park with its two exits
We pulled it back I come from North Hollywood so I know about coming from I come from North Hollywood again and its ski lodge aspirations I come from Ventura where the U-Hauls skulk I come from Amherst where on the twelfth day we rise
We cleaned clocks I come from Eden Prairie again so you best believe I linger I come from Eden Prairie again with its misreading of the future I come from Minneapolis again with its disappeared I come from Minneapolis again with its so you never stood a chance
We pushed it out I come from Minneapolis again with its owned not rented I come from Santa Monica where nothing bad ever happens I come from Santa Monica again where the rain is unending I come from Hollywood where the helicopters haunt me
We rattle easily, no I come from Long Beach so you know why we do what we do when we do what we do
We broke it down We made a run We wait it out We have it all I...
I'm nothing if not timely With my timeless salutations That get you right there And split your brain halves, like yolk from white Uneven, odd colors, and is that a fable book? That you hold in your hand like a cannibal's meal hand? Unknown resister to reason Guess what, that's the devil's very treason
She talks about that one dead end As if it's hallowed ground and not the edge of town Where the city stops so the pavement stops She thinks there's buried bones there She may be right but no one's digging any time soon
The stories she tells As the excitement swells and sweats They're as true as a shy man's wedding vows All bent toward great heights Invented at the moment Aroused and uninvited She calls cameras She stalls camera crews The regional news Gives her a segment
I think of that parking lot As hope unearthed Dashed and cursed Speed bumps 'til the fence and forest So dense. So warm. So porous I wish we had more space and time Fewer power cords, fewer shoes Cotten swabs and rotten jobs A trade off, one and not the other Blood angel, two mothers No fathers, a galaxy of pixelations October 23, 2009
Stretch your back Kick your shoes off There's a soft spot On the floor, over there, in the low blocks Evermore, tide to shore, on the black rocks
He calls her absurd, a martyr's marking time Scrolling up and down and all around the quiet town The one with the half-good reputation For handsome girls with shadow puppet shapes
The furnaces are big and brown The steam engines head uphill, crosstown Halos don't appear because halos don't exist Fiery tempers make the feeblest fists
Close your eyes Hold your hands out Fold the flaps in Now your hands go back out You never closed your eyes
We worked it out I come from Eskilstuna where the kiosks come up I come from Alexandria where the asphalt was invented I come from Teaneck with its sharks in quicksand I come from Feasterville so you have no upper upper hand
We called it out I come from Bergenfield where the floods did come I come from New Milford where no children smile I come from River Vale with its bushes of baseball bats I come from Doylestown so you best not relax
We tore it up I come from Eden Prairie where the warmth is palatable I come from Brea with its music 'til four in the morning I come from Minneapolis where swift lifts make for soft pulls I come from Pomona so all your threats are empty, empty, empty
We made it shiny I come from Pasadena where the blood boils I come from Monrovia where the hillside strangles I come from Newbury Park with its two exits I come from North Hollywood so I know about coming from
We pulled it back I come from North Hollywood again with its two stories up I come from Ventura where the U-Hauls skulk I come from Amherst where on the twelfth day we rise I come from Eden Prairie again so you best believe I linger
We cleaned clocks I come from Eden Prairie again with its misreading of the future I come from Minneapolis again with its disappeared I come from Minneapolis again with its coffeehouse crushes I come from Minneapolis again so you never stood a chance
We pushed it out I come from Santa Monica where nothing bad ever happens I come from Santa Monica again where the rain is unending I come from Hollywood where the helicopters haunt me I come from Long Beach so you know why we do what we do when we do what we do
I'm not done trying to save my self To save face, to get brave, to limit my range of motion From high hills to blue ocean In between, I'm stark and lean
I've been told I'm old and mean and sweet and young But there are complicated locks and handles That fool even the trickiest vandals Those floating legends we held in high esteem She's the color of a candida dream He's keeps honor in his extra-large sleeve Neither knows it but they're helpless in the sun
I'm so so sick of trying to save my soul Selling out, moving out; besides it's ill-defined Soul is body, mind is soul Mind and body are one, I'm fat and well-fed
I was reminded yet again of my tendencies and tricks Selfish acts that look selfless to the masses Who cover their eyes with knockoff sunglasses I'm all set to tell the truth if it's what you need Truth is, the truth is what we believe we believe Love is what we think of when we kneel down and grieve Simple steps lead to complicated kicks
It's not over, this saving of myself It comes down to quiet sleep and slip-sliding laughter From the one-way one-lane in the seaside city of today To a long long time ago, the four-lane Leisure ride through Pennsylvania Dutch, just rolling along
We worked it out
