The USA Makes Me Nervous

You know how it is

when  you go to a party,

a gathering,  or are out on

a first date,  say… or, you

walk into  a restaurant in

Idaho, and all the patrons

turn as one and look at you,

and you realize you don’t

look like them.

Or,  you could be standing

on a street in downtown

Chicago…just waiting for

a friend…you didn’t consider

your wardrobe when you

jumped into your jeans and

pulled on the  Kent State

sweatshirt…but now...standing

there…the cold stares of the

Three-Piecers,   the women

with faces you could ice skate

on,  the gut feeling that you are

surrounded by moving objects

but where the fuck are the people?

But….that’s not really it…that’s

not really what I mean. ..

It’s more than that.

Even if the streets were  empty

and I stood there,  alone,  leaves

rustling in the wind… even  if

everyone was gone…. I would

stand there and feel that something

had gone terribly wrong.