twelve minutes

a large backward el
along highlands above a river
through rail oil alluvium
spinestraight façade oceaneast
saattaannaammaa
momentmelodywatergather
rubbberwhirrspistonsechoes
patapsco
darkness
light

tunnel portal after sunrise
(the harbor tunnel opened in 1957 reducing automobile travel time through baltimore via fairfield and canton to philadelphia or dc)

another day

members of port authority met
for the purpose of organizing at the governors office at ten light street.
but for frogman dwight from us virgin islands charm city was to die that day
from planted spybombs
to assassinate governor mayor commissioners capitalism
establish communo-fascist oligarchia nycjobbershippers
at the expense of our fair city.
thanks for superiorintelligence advancedwiretrapping.
uss saratoga steaming to guantanamo
detours quietly up the chesapeake
(secrecy more important than success)
seal team spotted by birdkill counting team—abort.
comes night of frogman do or we die slowly rusting without commerce
dwight come with us special orders
two days of darknesssilence
into the water from launch toward lazaretto
steady breaststrokes not a ripple sound reflection
treading an hour partying sailors meltaway
uponto shore minutebyminute movingnotmoving amphibianunseen
2:07 wet wooden pile
2:08 still pier shadows
2:09 sleeping drunk on pratt
2:10 refuse on lombard corner
2:11 barrels near redwood construction
2:12 boxes near freight elevator
2:13 soundless toes leaping fourtreads fourtreads fourtreads
2:14 spybombs noiselessly collected
2:15 elevator shaft repelling quiet nylon
2:16 darkdoorway
2:17 emptybustop
2:18 blackwall
2:19 nosplash nightbirds unmoving
good judgement professional standards
modernoverall
shippersport
promoted
frogman did

tower at sunrise
(the baltimore port authority met for the first time in 1956 at 10 light street and began centralized, regional management of port facilities in lieu of separate management by the b&o, western maryland, and pennsylvania railroads under city supervision—dwight may have resigned from the usn because racist shore patrol rolled and left to drown a drunk friend of his returning to ship from shore leave)

for coca-colas

ghostly eyes linger about posts
helicopters of human torso hover
immaculate hands rise skyward earthward
mouths shout bombs prayers hailing echowire
over bloody knees aching thighs tumbling
shoulders concrete into ribs frozen mud
unite us to bury
thunder galloping home

goal posts at sunrise
(texans became colts at memorial stadium in 1953 and champions on national tv in 1958)

pleasure dome

fight through pleasant exciting environment
closer to venice urban undiluting
in perplexing injustice awkward triangular
through economic valley in magnetism field
touch side windows out on city
from three small squares
mixintenseuse
on slope bridging superblock

charles center at sunrise
(the greater baltimore committee formed in 1956 and bonds for its first project, charles center– between liberty street, hopkins place, and lombard, charles, and saratoga streets– were approved by voters in 1958)

supervene

linger here dark embrace
take what love gives
pressed hands
welded
dyed
back and forth in golden shoes
dreams shadows

eutaw and fayette streets at sunrise
(performances at ford’s grand opera house on eutaw and fayette streets were picketed from 1947 until it desegregated in 1952—many artists and production companies boycotted the theater during that time)

community relations

any person aggrieved
discriminationsegregation
dwelling opportunity
familial person natural
orientation place public
covenant
population composed
care groups practice place
hardship social
arbitrary age chance equal
liberties
untold anxieties
permanent effects

city hall from gay and saratoga at sunrise
(the city council passed an equal employment ordinance in 1956)

hurrah

a brutal line drive slices sharply
starting southwest then due east into the sun
over green field raked dust custom
over fading fence into sports shirts called out over radio
strikezone dizzy disappearing
snap go fling take swing bunt
depression safe out in bluesky brightlights
howl swear run jump fight

memorial stadium from shallow center at sunrise
(anheuser-busch forced the browns out of st. louis and other team owners forced bill veeck out of baseball, temporarily, and the orioles landed at memorial stadium in 1954)

some part of you down there

singing all over
deep rivers
no ways tired this far
day after day born
turning around you
in pleasure and grief
speak in red rising sun a few days more
fields of gold pure water
for never yes forever
bound to earth
explode in lightning

lyric at sunrise
(lyric music hall owners refused to have marian anderson perform there in 1953, but relented in 1954, to the joy of a sell-out audience)