i escaped the trailer home
to the make shift rodeo
toothful gagglers &
not so pretty hollars
boys
i rush up the bleachers
squishing cans beneath
each jump                               CRRRUNCH!
i want to go to the
top
find the place
where
goodness
calls

an old sweaty man's hand grabs my trousers
PULL FREE
PULL FREE
.. i can't
his wrinkles shimmer chrome
the shiny belt buckle big n' bold
the pain of a world too ordered
to make people like me silent
he is pulling me down to sit
pulling me hard
my jeans are sliding
black
i wriggle
wriggle
always mama tried to make me sit
the teacher
the politician
my eyes hurt from all this looking
at things not right
i wriggle
the sun is sharp
that place where the shadow meets the crawl
i wriggle
and make a straight hand
bruce lee myself free
his teeth grimace and drip
i unwriggle him from my dreams

& climb straight up the big light at the top

a stadium of nowhere

big hatted heros

the swirl of dust

the crumbs of

discount cookies
the texas sky





cries no mercy