Lush Life
The lushness of city living
the darkness. . . .the noisome
stench of summer. . . .the cracks
that scar the boulevards as winter
bites. . . .as halogen erupts. . . .a
secondhand life of voyeuristic
obligation. . . .the jacket torn
the ramshackle shoes of sidewalk
life. . . .a fleshy strength. . . .his
shoulder shrugging nonchalance
the choice of violence. . . .avoiding
TV windows. . . .the dead
eyes of yesterday. . . .a memory
of Kentucky clay. . . .the kernel
of his presence. . . .his forgiveness
his blamelessness. . . .the corner-hugging
saxophone that infiltrates
his dreaming. . . .resplendent
in his filth. . . .he walks in circles
living on the tangent of his line.
by Paul Ilechko
Editor’s Note: This poem is even more free than most free verse, but the choice of form (spaces, missing punctuation) skillfully emphasizes the fractured mental space of the speaker.
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