Gogyohka 11.2.09

Scenes from the NYC Marathon (11.1), specifically in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn:

Two eyes, yes
Two ears, sure,
right on--but remember:
One heart pumping out
One

Gospel choir singing so hard
in front
of the Baptist Church
even white boys on the avenue
have to smile

marrow jiggling
off the concrete
only mile 9
a marathon runner knows
the privacy of achievement

the women tapping in heels
the man lost in his tambourine
and the rising tide
of "I'm so Grateful!"
almost made a Baptist outta me

the wrinkly bald man sweating
the toned young lady
Alex who must be supported by guides
all the same to her
"Looking Good!! Need some Gatorade?"

And then what I wrote today, 11.2:

anger tempts me
into a booming chasm
I stare out at everyone
"You think I won't?"
"You think I won't?"

at dawn
in time's foggy meadow
I pluck a turkey feather
notch it in an arrow
and kill a fox

Gogyohka--
the shadow cast
by the crest
of a wave
right before it breaks

the obvious sun comes on bright
it shines in your window
but remember the geyser
spitting its boiling sulfuric source
Splissssshhhhhh!

days pass
the beavers inside
build dams
but my river will flow
mighty I will flow into you

happiness
comes not
from good fortune
but the absence
of ill will