II

have you ever stargazed?

you can stay out there

pretending you're stoned

someone always says,

"you know they all died
like 5 million years ago,

the stars"

then everyone gets real deep

like kids that have been

singing in the dark

for 25 years,

off in murky yee-haw county,

out with the wildlife,

where its time for black clothes,

and big mouthed clouds from the south.

they're out in the field

with real slicked hair

laying in a circle,

'so its hard to keep on the right side,

nothing fucked up happened to you,

you just did something bad'

'and you have sinned'

'but we can talk it over, sweet boy'

i'll think that one over,

ill be in the metal works

with blackening sweat

and something made of steel

it reminds me of yesterday,

i was watching the athlete's foot spread,

i didnt know what it was

hong kong foot?

i stopped caring about stuff,

thought it might be nicer

its not really, though

maybe time for new shoes?

i'm a pretty dainty cat in these shoes though

i was the cat that walked from shelbyville

if i strolled on away,

if i stayed away from both kinds of fields,

and walked into town

just to bend my neck around,

i wouldnt say it was because i wasnt worried

but we really do have a good time

pretending its the end of the world

every couple of years or so

all of the villagers stood around in the dust

they gathered up their robes and shielded their eyes

and they could hear it, or feel it, coming on

they expected some noise but there was none

everyone listened and waited for the rumbling