The $64,000 question

Jack GalmitzThe $64,000 questionCopyright Jack Galmitz ImPress 2015New York, New York

The $64,000 question

Jack Galmitz

Looking at the skythrough the leaves of a great treecut down for years

The bees rainbow wingsreturn to my faceIm in his space

This summer nightfierce and soothingas a hiding cat

Rocks and graveleach edge a fall a hammerthe rails go on forever

Bare tract of landa blurred suna bent tree of black

Tired of lookingat itselfthe sunflower bows its head

Sunflower fielda universehere

I surrender-the roacheshave taken over

Scraping off the sootfrom the pot she keeps burningour marriage

Between mountainsa sunsetof pixels

My heartwhere have you gonehiding on ocean floors

Sitting on the porchwhen the downpour stopsah, the petrichor

Without godwhat is theremy hand in yours

At a yellow lightI spent most of my lifewaiting for it to change

The hobbledin white clothesstifle in church

How lonelyto be an Americanamong Americans

Pink heatherand a pink sunsetwhatever

Headlights in the rainall that steel or is it steeldominating world

I live in a worldof post-dreckapartment buildings derelict

Where did those men gothe ones with half a bodywho sold pencils long ago

The nursing homeon the floor closest to the skythose who will soon die

The bloodfloods its banksSaturday night

I love the seait graciouslytook me in

An outline in chalkof a man who was struck downa forecast of rain

Father died at nightId never seen such rainnever in my life

Blood blossomsin the syringeyoure off to heaven

Mother diedof sepsisan old icebox

Huge hydrangea treeIm weighed down, tooby the deluge

A crescent moonand a starlets have no more war

What splendorLake Ontario frozenthe waves at cresting

Shot from a cannonwhen she lands in the netshes the same woman

The donkey stopsand wont budgeenough is enough

The great roadsbelong to truckersthe heroes of goods

A man in a boxshipped third classis what weve become

Men who workin slaughterhouseshave grown cloven hooves

The parakeetI loved so much broke its neck or so I was told

Theres barely roomfor the Chinese in floatscooling off in the pool

in no timea street shrine formsflowers, candles and crosses

The dog lifts his legin a street of cracked earthin the barrio

Phantom India

A woman doctorraped on a busthen thrown to her death

Cracks in the roadcreate a silent flowercars tear the petals

Shes losther anxiety is feltrectangles of light step

Im frozen meatwaiting on the elevated platforma winter night