working for the boss

there speeds the running one
muscular aggressive flying edge
fluid defense fast break football
driving colts away to bachelor bands
half-ton thundering heroes wheel and chase
pure and mighty
before dayafter battle scavengers caw and play

uprights at sunrise
(the stallions, our city’s most successful football team ever, won the grey cup championship in 1995)

hopeless dawn

poached eggs red beans with rice crumpets
rested steaming
wild fowl oyster clams terrapin ham rockfish hominy
lay hidden nearby
vodka in red juice gin with clear vermouth
waited chilled next to single malt
languid and super fit might have talked
team up and wood work and what up and hip hop
and weed and sameness and distortion and things are worse
had they arrived to sip and dine
before stacie discovered
widgeon is an absolute ass

drones at sunrise
(the maryland club at 1 east eager street opened enrollment to jewish men in 1988, remains closed to women, and is in need of donations to the maryland club preservation foundation inc)

mother and pride

as if you will take me back into you
i eat your food
let your love wash over me
skim flying between your light and dark
you welcome me as i left
floating between life and death
before i dissolve into you and eternity

clipper memorial at sunrise
(in 1986 nina schack, vincent lazzaro, barry duckworth, and armin elsaesser were lost at sea with the pride of baltimore, which first sailed in 1977)

viewing rooms

nasty business
from a promontory
stands in wet white linen
floats down to ships
on streets and alleys
touring
in scenery and repose

belvedere at sunrise
(the sheraton belvedere, on chase and charles streets, desegregated at christmas in 1954 for a month, before re-segregating at the demand of racist city business leaders)

who is who

blue skies fade white in glass
resolving clear in warm air
intoxicating reflection
in liquid suspended
over rough marble atop a thin column
inverted arch
vessel of windows and doors
opening murals mosaics in bas-relief
shimmering in polychrome of famous words
strolling nude bright eyes clean violence soaring music
grand schemes

belvedere at sunrise
(the hotel belvedere opened on chase street in 1903)