the Bard
is  Dead
yet 76 yr. old Marvin Shapiro
"homeless"
still walks around  shouting
"...Cyanide metal poisoning. Cyanide metal 
poisoning. The Surgeon General blew it in my
face."

it's a cold-for-this-time-of-year 
afternoon
& tonight i'll make another 
attempt at looking for the be-bop
comet


We all arrive as free "MEN"
& SLAVES

slaves to breath
       to food
       to money

slaves to mothers
       to children

cat slaves
dog slaves

slaves to windows
          walls
          telephones
        & sex

bicycle riding our broken hearts
from egypt to africa to rome

jesus was a slave  &
moses a slave to his god
Leadbelly  the Son of Slaves
& me too   probably me

we are slaves to Evolution
to the System
to Natural & unNatural History
to Industry & advertising & our
Selves

it's a cold spring day
& the Bard is Dead
& our  bodies are for rent
& Marvin Shapiro
the lonely plague-infested jew
wanders around day & night
with his pockets stuffed
& his umbrella close &
swinging -
            just in case 

the chinese gave the japanese 
everything
including their respect
yet ended up their Slaves

epictetus taught aurelius 
all he knew
yet he was his  Slave

cowboys & indians   Slaves
slaves to religion & music &
LOVE

many sold their kith & kin
as slaves

gypsies  poets scholars & fools
were slaves
concentrated & killed 

I'M a SLAVE to YOU

we all arrive 
as FREE MEN & SLAVES
slaves to sorrow
sickness &
JOY

slaves to Weather
flower  &
time

to Life
sleep
consumption
Dying
&
WORDS

the Bard is Dead
but his poems are not
& his spirit set free
now resides with the ghosts
who charge aimlessly about this Patterson sky
this impossibly perfect Patterson sky...