saint paul street – sunrise in a small city

distortious

a forever known only to themselves jaw breaking
steel ribbed tools of selfsound strident banquet playing
blood as noise rising high grinding down
loud bright points dark matrix strenuous
hell ranging
songbirthing pound
consuming marrow and muscle splitting ear
electrons chaotic mind rule children
chord soaring shipmates riotous marque
shooting horizontal furious stars
infinite atonal binary prima
expressive hell crashing
steel fire lense laser apocalyptics profound
where trains go manic
live nativity fast heavy plasma sound

community space at sunrise, saint paul and 26th streets, baltimore — *(the baltimore rock opera society started performing in 2009, at the 2640 space )*

trying to believe

that is around the corner
poised to invade and press
killing opportunity
stepping through mirrors and windows i express
my naivety
smells and words in thoughts in harmony
moments stretching toward eternity

former bookstore at sunrise — (red emmas bookstore and coffee shop first opened at 800 saint paul street in 2004)

one percent solutions

a doctor of greed and his consultant
survey blue veins and red arteries
beneath thin white skin of dotted and scarred anthropocene
this time a needle right here
injecting tiny amounts of capitalcaine
capillaries excrete morphund
our doctor lounges in velveteen satisfaction and ecstasy
upthrusts a needle-like finger of steel and silicon
flagtopped
signifying fuck you

william donald schaefer building at sunrise — (merritt savings and loan started building the now william donald schaefer building at six saint paul street before collapsing in 1985 from gross mismanagement and misappropriation; the state paid chase 25 million to take over the business–and in 1993 bought the building for 12 million—starting the wholesale transfer of local financial firms to u.s. and international control)

lightbluesky

allocate together through diversity
rational designs

east mount vernon square at sunrise — (the university of baltimore first opened in 1925 on the corner of saint paul street and mount vernon place)

chrysanthemum ruins

adele dreamed of an ancient city
white broken marble maroon crumbled brick
jumbled concrete bright yellow under a morning sun
she soared and circled slowly down
toward a windless world
eddies of dust spiraled undisturbed as voices
mostly gold streaked white purple red
heralds
journals
correspondents
news
she walked with an august gentleman
scattering seeds of autumn flowers blooming as they passed
“lord baltimore is american”
“my maryland”
turning around they stood in a sea
maroon touched with delicate gold

flower exchange at sunrise — (the baltimore florists exchange operated from 1906 to 1918 on franklin and saint paul streets)

quarantine

enforced
great change in the physical aspect of baltimore
isolation
was brought about by the removal of the buildings along saint paul
limit
cleared into a series of sunken gardens
infection
elaborate stairways
into lonely places

lonely place at sunrise — (in 1914 a thriving, predominantly black neighborhood around saint paul street between lexington and center streets was razed as mayor preston innovated baltimore apartheid)

colegium baltimorense in usum feminatum

a thorough, practical, accomplished and christian education,
fit the pupil for the faithful discharge of the responsible duties that await her
in life.
under an able and energetic faculty
an able body of teachers is thus being reared up.
while infants pray and oppressed rage and poets burn and prophets fade and fountains murmur and sons die and churches mold
in the half-life of superstition

saratoga at sunrise — (the female college of baltimore was established in 1849 on saint paul street and defunded in 1890)

tapestry

sons of princes
with discontinued wefts of yarn
of gold silver silk wool and cotton
hiding the warp threads
gathered together and started weaving
a cloth that changes with every different ray of light or new perspective

saint paul and lexington at sunrise — (the maryland historical society was established in 1844, with offices in the athenaeum)

mah-hah-bone

from east, west, north, south political
in search of power
on the rails over the crossties
from the highest hills and the lowest vales
with fervency zeal grip and word
speculating
troweling cement into fissures in the sanctum sanctorum
time seizes they cry and shout
bees in a hive incensed
swords properly pointed
anchors weighed
scythes sharpened
shovels ready
foot to foot knee to knee breast to breast hand to back mouth to ear
launching the semi-sacred quest

square fountain at sunrise — (the first of many national political conventions in baltimore in the 19th century was held by the anti-masonic party at the athenaeum on lexington and saint paul streets in 1832)

for the promotion of the mechanic arts

manufacturers artizans fostering exalting inventive genius
increase trade business and commercial mart
blending colors richly and well
designing chastely and architecturally.
some thousands may promenade the handsome galleries

saint paul and lexington south at sunrise — (the maryland institute was charted in 1825 and began meeting at the athenaeum on lexington and saint paul streets)