when she happened upon joe frank on the uptown local late one night
fractured route to undeserved blame
anti-personal bombs
like she’s seen all her life
in a sly way intended
like the wedding cake greets the knife
those bits of her that have been bloodied
what parts have been rendered
do they reek unhurried
salt among the scented
on a late-night uptown train
she tested the field phone inside her
it held off guerillas
it fined the decriers
she asked for and got the nothing
programmed like all the others
now seated across from her
apart from the others’ fur she was
wrapped in chancy sentimental
a list of liars in his back pocket
smelled of caution and secretive black light
she saw him before the brain kicked in
his playbill rolled into undone
she, the spymaster was rigid with won
across the aisle of not fun
she on her own across the aisle
recognizable mentor
his wife his savior his partner who knew
when she was sudden and leaden and undiscovered
basement-level of her own invention
imagine how hard it was to reign in
crazy to tell him he grew her
when the fresh eggs you are given
drop into your open palm
wash your hands it could kill you
or make you sing psalms
for the birth of anything animal or mineral
the thing humans crave are subliminal
she saw him on the uptown train
coming back from nothing remotely insane
what we have is embedded discovery
she shouts headless and crazed
no voice no sound
she recovers her ignorant gaze
he lowered his head undiscovered by her
playbill in hand
crazy to tell her he knew
3.15.22 nyc
