ME and HOUND

Me and hound watched mildly

amused yesterday standing hunched

over under light rain with baseball hats

and a Times to shed the wetness. Wall leaning
at a well trod slreelcorner we smiled dryly
trading quick winks to see the passing driit

oi laces, llowing by in a thin sidewalk skihstream.
Many hard faces louring hard and

sporting moonround yellow smile buttons pinned
beneath no smiles as it to hint (no screech

with dukes upl) goddamit anyhow I

AM happy so there, . . .
There were some long grey laces with three
day stubhies and some shaved iaces held
straight by skinny necktie nooses and we saw
some drained iaces painted light Spanada

pink with bent~ln hatsohtop. Me and hound

saw others too. Lots with once slight cheer now
draining iast and washed away in drops oi drizzling
rain. (But one shy gradeschooler grinned

a hit at hounds dripping hasetiall cap.) Only one.
The irritated stream runs all

elbows and dour bleats dodging stepea—step
sliding in and around feet scraping the Wei
ground. They push on sadly. A pointless swirl oi
grey and scuiiing, hungry eyed lemming

Jam mirrored rueiully in spotted

reileetions oil the rain stained shop

windows that line the walk.

Me and hound alone letting all

the wet hard Wurld slide splashing

past with shuttles and clicks

A syncopated patter oi hurried shoes pounding
heavy in Our bent heads while echoes

curses beeps assorted car hurps and eopwhistle
tweets crack in hatlike rebounds dawn

the Slick streets and avenues of the weary

old grey wind-whipped rainy townday.

Oh God, the roller coaster lite
or the damned crazy river
Flies oh unlurled wings ior the spires
0i purple temples
Up to the welcome haven oi Hell’s inner torment.

Sale at either endrwitnin Selfi god.
on God the
ride between is . .is...
Beyond the grasp oi demons.
the help of cherubs.
sell.

god. on God.

Me and hound watching still
the endless nonordered columns of
oleak irontages and they skirt our leaning
wall in time to an unseen timepiece
goosestepping smartly through our hit
of solitude. Dare
I to wave to one face and suffer being noticed?
(Hound thinks so.) Kind sir please
tell me would you rather toss all your prim
hat and nibble fresh peaches reaching hands up
to feel the cold rain” Consider your alternative
and scurry blackhatled antlike out to J.F.K.
to meet your airplane seat Ever climbed a rust
dusty hillock in stormy Spokane weather, or maybe
you’d preier skirting treetops 'rDund a Scottish
heather in a Sailplane? Hunting the furry wildebeest
or skinnydlpplhg joys oi diving ior abilone? Have
you ever well then we neitherY but we feel it’s best to
search tree than be one lost ripple in the grey flood.
Drink in cupped hands the cool rain stomp mud
puddles and sing opera at stray cats. What
no? Well, oye then make your plane we love you.
Me and hound got Wishes too.
We've smelled too long the greyhounds oily punch in
the nose and metal pig squeals as it rumbles oil to vomit
torth lts grim load at the next stop and
we're Sick to our bone’s marrow soul me and hound
are of the Surly drivers who dream they run
the whole goddam revolution fronl the front
seat in step to the slow steel rhyme oi the money
eating meters on my God oh my W
me and hound had our fill of all this SWlll -
stained existence and good down home
sin, we lift our wet legs in a toast On any near-
by Streetlight post. And me and hound
ain’t with the grey wash, there ain't he faces
with us on our loity pedestal hcyond we will
not be one more grease stain on the whole
greasy rug oi this city Our things won't be going better
with that peeling Coke billboard nor will we be
conned another day by the Con Edison sign. Nononononol
Me and hound deciding hell
with the hig green propaganda hoard too.
We won’t be outlived by n U. 5 Savings bond'
That’s It Conllict of interest.
We doll our caps to Hamiltons verdant
visage and dripping move on.

L. John llesshurg lll

 

