I once invited a radical leftist poet from Spain to Thanksgiving. 

We got a ride to my mom's house out in the country with a gentleman she was seeing. The older gentleman was from Greece but had some connection to Turkey which we thought was odd because the two countries are notorious enemies. 

He said when he moved to the U.S. it upset him that he  wasn't addressed as Herr Professor. He said they did so in Europe why not here? He said doctors here are referred to as Dr. why not professors or engineers?

My friend and I looked at each other like wtf? 

In conversation he remarked that if an innocent person were put in jail it was okay as long as it assured that no guilty persons went free. 

Well, that was too much- 

"Are you fucking kidding?! I don't think you understand how justice works in this country. A person is considered innocent until proven guilty. What, you just want to put in prison everyone suspected of a crime in order to make absolutely certain no guilty people remain free? 

Things kinda went downhill from there. 

 Outside on the sidewalk of

the Pompidou art museum

In Paris, France

        was Medieval appurtenances including;

                        A strongman with chains and weights

in a wife beater who had a corroded bald head;

                and another large balded man

         Perhaps his cousin?;

       blowing giant long flames

      from his mouth 

               after taking a swig 

    from a 

        see-through plastic container

            and lighting it as he blew

            

 Your talk 

was like an egg cream drink

       at Zelikov's on 34th St.

     it tasted good

   But no egg

               no cream

 There weren't 

much going on

   It was NYC

      in 1984

   My English 

                 were getting better

    and you're mom

                     had a basement apartment 

                in Alphabet City

 The Burden of Mexico Heat

    Like a Sam Shepard play

       with two brothers and stolen

                 neighborhood toasters

  

Rang

  

                      up yer counterweight argument

      but you tried

        a Chinese restaurant 

      goose one of many

                    hanging in the window

 I ran

      a featured embrace

       by the murdered children

        I tried

     but I'm not anything

      I ran a long race

        But who can stand up

        in the face of Government power

       I tried

          but what could I become 

        I kept my head low

         For fear of being shot off

             it's what they count on

          whoever THEY are

            but fight we will

 Crapper

Innate bro-heim 

   splayed out on the lawn 

      crying over the misfortune

         But laughing inside

            The white worm

        knows its place

      By the bottles

         out of the sun

      wearing polyester 

    tennis shirts with popped collars

       dreaming about a 72 convertible Corvette Stingray

        eating Jujyfruits

      watching all the Planet of Apes

    movies in theatres 

    It's cool and dark

    and they have candy 

     But Jimi Hendrix sez

       Are You Experienced?

  

 Someone should make 

Revisionist remakes of Tarantino's revisionist

movies which are closer to what would really have happened- the interlopers would be captured, tortured, and murdered and no one would ever hear about it.

 Who's there?!

Natecha 

Natecha? Natecha who?

Natecha! Ya know birds bushes sky air water rain etc!

Whattaya want?!

Did you order some air and water and stuff?

Umm Honey? Did we order some nature?

Um I don't think I did maybe one of the kids?

We didn't order anything

I don't care

You don't care?

I'm natecha I don't care about nuthin

Why not?

Why wood I? 

    Get it Wood? 

Okay thanks for coming by

We're always here but we're not always nice!

Is that a threat? 

Hah! Call the police! Natecha is threatening! They'll lock you up! No more natecha for you!

 I ran

through a primate contusion 

   Unparalleled by the current stock market

      the bewilderment of annoyance 

        were the every day clothes

   crying in coffee shops

   Is slightly unusual

    But sad

     I tried to use the computer

    But I couldn't do it

 And there was a weird dirty dude looking at me

Who asked 

  What are you looking at? 

I said

 I'm wondering the same thing

Fuck that guy

 French Fries

with chicken

     and cheese 

         and peppers

  Yum!

 I'm a cranky old fart

I don't like 90% of the music 

I hear in restaurants 

and it's invariably too loud

Grumble grumble 

modern music sucks!

 local barista

gal with a black 

FUN FACT

I DON'T CARE

t shirt

breaks into tears

about her absent dad

 A stream

 of phosphorescent 

        blues

        ran thru

                everything

     you are 

      the awakener 

      but your ass itches

     And you might have bugs

So do what the doctor says 

         spread that creme everywhere 

         and leave it on overnight

    And don't forget 

     to wash yr clothes

      and the bedding

 Mom's turning 94

 in May

I went online and bought

a 1964 Topps card 

of Red Sox player-

Carl Yastrzemski-

for her.

 Another Beautiful Day

   Sky's clear

   It's cool with a slight breeze

   coming off the Pacific

   Children are screaming

   and running 

   the shadows are hiding

   their secrets

   as you buy a bottle

   of booze

   And try to learn how to say

   Please don't kill me in Arabic

    "We don't say that, we just say

    don't kill me."

 There was a

frozen embryo horror

In yer pants

   So you stopped at Denny's

   and called your Congressperson 

   but the people in the booth

  next to you were too loud

    laughing and screaming

    about something the dog ate

your tears dripped

   on a Grand Slam breakfast

 They took my sandwich

   when I re-entered my country!

 a deli sandwich

    which will never be eaten

       ham and cheese

          and maybe a little mayo

      encased in a plastic triangle

      purchased at the inisuper

   missing a large M

(I actually purchased three of them

and had eaten two already)

   but I was willing to

  do my part to keep 

  our country safe and bacteria free

  I handed over the deli sandwich

without complaint

(I'd already had two!)

  and they let me go my way

without any further ado

   or bag inspection 

 

Serene

 

    by signs

     of ancient pools

         of stop signs

                  south of Napoli

    the cheap suit!

        the cardboard

                               against my stomach

        the Romany (Gypsy)

     children

        all sizes

                     grasping my arms

outside the train station

         in Rome

        The black ambassador

        saying

        "Don't take candy from strangers!"

      and actually meaning it

               after us (Jessie and I) seeing 

   a box of mewling 

kittens by the side

   of a busy

highway