downhill
miles and miles
constantly falling
widening
crossing branches runs tunnels
pushed with petrol hearts
into settling solution
bacterial food
intestines reach like tentacles
throughout the underground
consumption dynamos
resonating in large hissing hum
along across ridges valleys
from city streets
through open forested uplands
water highways flatlands
from patterson to herring run back river bear creek
lexington to elkridge through halethorpe
lafayette to elicott through catonsville
druid hill to gwynns falls roland montebello
wyman to loch raven through towson
montebello to loch raven clifton
clifton to patterson
herring run to loch raven
green ways
in arcing sun
walking
in jet stream
i meet you in ashes
as we walk away from what had been
i learn about you
we make and destroy cities of hills by water
woven with hate
you are my second skin
we consume each other
please
scratch bleed wash chew and spit me
into something i cant see
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
in happy land
fortresses burn
schemes of bondage
storm
breaks rock in loud applause
peace and safety
find
walking in hills and dells
hogs mill out of the orchard into bondage
toads rustle toward water barbaric
deer graze in circuits progressing
ravens encircle anticipating
sparrows forage in microcosm
cows linger about stables ignorant
sheep graze superstitious
a few hundred birds in song capable
weasels forerun
roosters confer
geese gather around opportunity
cats habituate each on its own
rats steal in order attention obedience discrimination and memory
ox and horse till usefully
falcons train on pigeons
snails rasp across tasty objects
flies light on still hands
and snakes measure air with tongue-craft
so join hands each a teacher farmer artisan
nonexempt in falling icy fangs
responsibility
scrutiny
municipality
professionalism
highest bidded infrastructure use
unhasty legislation
limited floating debt
protected public schools
well-supervised assistance.
rising expenditure inelastic revenue
fictitious valuations
discounting the future
expensive mediocrity
wastefulness inefficiency
services rendered incommensurate with available resources
bogey of threatened removal
in a rain of flowers and cheers
our soldiers fire on people in the streets
between the buildings on the pavement
echo chamber roar
squeezes blood
out of eyes ears nose lungs
briefly faintly tinting the coastal waters
traces of anthropocene
from the beginning
standing together
by the table
calling loudly as the house shakes
happy in love and vision
amid the perplexed
staying pioneers
birthright
night had evaporated
after moving heated words
through coils and tubes
we poured out of small sweating chambers into bank street
force resolved
we would not build
dispersing
boilers for new machines
dissipating through new day city
to manufacture boilers
