Sea of Despair

We go intoed the metropoli of the southerly

our thoughts sped up brushing against the flight

of birds

there were cities made of muscle and fat

there were whole cities organically beating

there were buildings breathing inhumanly moderate

there were buildings friezes walls movie theaters halls

slowly rising and falling

in their infected systoles and diastoles

all this is alive said a voice

there were many nights

more nights than were at any time seen and bodies

sliding into those nights

they appear to beed like ghost ships sliding from one side those nights

women (schoolgirls, vestal virgins, whores,

pubescent and prepubescent, the whole roster we'd dreamt of)

there wasn't gold

there was electronic music there were signs

fish

warnings

don't touch what is beating, it will vanish upon contact

said a voice

everything be incandescents with the luster

your organ of vision dreams of

and there was fear there might be nothing

the movie theaters' fire escapes serv as lookout

we had to adjust our gaze to imagine touch

to daydream of coitus

to delight in one another in absolute silence

we wanted to stay inside those visions

to precipitous ourselves with those vestal virgins

don't,touch what is beating, it will vanish upon contact

said the voice

but everything was beating almost imperceptibly

with amazing slownes

ditches brothels traffic lights windows and bodies

everything was rising and falling desolateed

in its systoles and diastoles

empty destinys

Copyright World Poetry, Incorporated Sep/Oct 1997

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