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Mike Boyle

Hospice


The last time I was there

I told Mom

sorry

I don't come every weekend

and she sd

oh, that's alright

you're busy

and I looked around

and sd

no, I'm not

sometimes I drive by

and can't pull in

last week I drove by

twice and just couldn't


she just sd

oh

don't worry about it

as I looked out the window

there was a bird feeder

out there and birds


2 weeks later

I watched them

take her

body

out of the

place

my sister

and nieces

were in the living room

crying

while

I stood on the porch

and watched

over

her


there's this

tape I have

that I made

when she was

in there

filled with nut

busting rock

Come

Motorhead

Metallica

and others

and all those

memories

got

etched

into the thing

somehow


think it was

screaming

down Derry St

last night

and her father's

hands were

gripping the wheel

telling me stories

of homesteading

in Canada

in 1900


think she was in the

backseat

listening



Industrial Accidents


Somewhere where the prophets

turn off the lights

train bearin

down

Kevin,

Deuce

we call him

and not to his face

3 fingers ripped off his

left hand

jumps out the window

door jammed and

course

car won't start

just sittin there on the tracks

death,

a cow catcher up front

grinnin

engineer not lookin

drinkin jack wishin it was

jim but they were out of jim

engineer's cousin

Mountian Mike

drivin his $10 pickup

20 miles to work

each day

sd he had a house

up in the hills

everyone knew

it was just a shack

M. Mike tried to catch

an engine that was fallin

from a lift

a few years ago

back all fucked up

last week he blew

his brains out

couldn't take the pain

no more

engineer takes

another slug

feet cold

somethin wrong

with his feet

Deuce ran off and

the lights came

back on



Surrealist Manifesto


I worry about becoming

the pie-faced

pickle nosed man

and years

from now

stumbling down

some dusty hallway

screaming

MARY, MARY

to no one

in particular

while

Pete

from across

the street

leans out the window

points a glassy finger

to the sky

as it starts raining

bottles and

pubic hairs


then

something about

wagons

dunno

if it's the police

or the

medics

Pete's yelling

told ya so

somewhat lucid

by then

there's a railyard

inside

we walk around

conductor says

board

all nostalgic

for the broadway limited

Diamond Jim and John L

in the back


then the horizon tilts and

I see you now

all so clearly


not too worried

about death

no glassy fingers

no bottles sliding

across the porch

no on/off

no

not with death

just one of them

black holes

a worm hole

possibly

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