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Jonathan Hayes
Outside
my girlfriend's apt.
off san bruno avenue
the lemon tree
in the backyard
twists and turns
in the wind
looking out
the bedroom window
at it all
which will brake first
the tree by nature, or
the mind by itself?
Awakening
before the sounds of the City
pass through the open apartment window,
a bird on the fire escape sings a song,
sung before the City was here.
Wine and Tea
Lay down on futon at 12 in the night;
not drunk, yet far from sober. Sleep like
snail in shell. Wake at 4 in the morning;
toss and turn, dreaming on and off.
Rise at 9 in the morning for work;
buy hot water for one quarter, add
green tea with ginseng. Leaf river
channels back to fruity sea.
Love on Market Street
It was time for dinner,
as I walked down Market Street
toward a burrito joint off of Sixth.
When I crossed Fifth,
my eyes made contact
with a young, beautiful blonde;
she gave me a million-dollar smile,
then handed me a red rose,
as we walked by each other
in the middle of the street.
Back on the sidewalk,
I looked at the red rose;
it was the most beautiful red rose
I ever saw.
And then I noticed
a heart drawn by someone
in blue magic marker
on the green tissue paper
it was wrapped in,
and below the heart it said,
"Pass it on."
So I started looking for girls
to pass it on to, but there
were only crackheads,
bums, and drug dealers
in front of the Warfield Theater.
On the other side of the street,
I saw a young woman
coming out of the Pearl Art store,
so I handed it to her.
Frightened, she jumped back
against the storešs front window
and said,
"Išll pass."
At the Desk
Eating a banana
and listening to talk radio;
I look out the window to see
if it is raining; thoughts of
her in the distant city.
On the Bus
Pack my bones,
and clean my crooked teeth
for the road home
alone.
Jonathan Hayes is the author of Echoes from the Sarcophagus (3300 Press, 1997),
St. Paul Hotel (Ex Nihilo Press, 2000), and self invented (split chapbook with
Mark Sonnenfeld, Marymark Press, 2003). Recently published by
Can We Have Our Ball Back?, M.A.G., and Transfer;
he edits the literary / art magazine Over the Transom.
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