noplace

rescued superfluidities
coursing through shared pipes stopping combined gloria conservation mass
blistering superchilled chemicals proud and seething
defying the simple air surrounding
lording atoms
great continuance uncommoded
serene industrial sharing
shall congregate and mingle in fellowship
letting a long beautiful utopian scream

caol pier at sunrise
(in 1995 the fairfield peninsula was designated an ecological industrial park, and industrial symbiosis spontaneously and completely transformed the city, region, and state)

brown to bright

sun light thru simple path
objectively condensing
immersing in salty nitrogen oxide smog
soaring intrinsic rainbows
living cells absorb and illuminate
radiating color buzzing art and industry
saturating dull forgotten fields
in slow steady streaking detox

brownfield at sunrise
(in 1995 twelve sites on the fairfield peninsula were reclassified from superfund sites to brownfields, creating an opportunity for redevelopment grants the city never managed to use to transform its long history of abusive jurisdiction—as it now fails to seize the opportunity to use brownfields and, in cooperation with the port administration, collocated port facilities to provide clean, sustainable, just power to the entire state of maryland)

warehousing them

dicktracy: when will you fix the faulty wiring
herniahernia: we might use some of the wiring to electrocute the roaches
dicktracy: the leaking pipes
herniahernia: they are imbedded in the concrete, as are the leaky gas pipes which poses slightly less danger
dicktracy: the rats come through the holes in the walls and ceilings
herniahernia: we are studying that, if convenient direct them out the broken windows
dicktracy: you could change the lightbulbs and keep the grounds clean
herniahernia: when we fix things they break, we’re saving money in hopes of destroying everything
dicktracy: it’s always cold in the winter
herniahernia: we’ve arranged to have milk delivered
dicktracy: can’t you just maintain working order, i don’t want to be in this war anymore
herniahernia: i won’t say there is nothing i can do

lexington terrace at sunrise
(lexington terrace residents protested unacceptable living conditions with a rent strike in 1993)

undercrowding

acetylsalicylic bricks
antihistamine mortar
suppressant lumber
symptomtreatmentatosis
blasts multiply

struggling street at sunerise
(in 1993 mayor schmoke led a 130 million building program in sandtown to eliminate vacants and provide affordable housing that utterly failed to relieve the community)

both hands on trident

while i was gone
a pretty oily heavy metal unquenchable cruise
lost from calypso
drink the high thunderheads
swallow the strafing carpeting shrapnel walls of rain
cast away churning deep
under speed of sound winds southeast northwest
struggle to surface
to skyscraper higher billowing strike
in awful gloom
scatter

fairfield at sunrise
(in 1993 sea witch salvage began dismantling the uss coral sea and the uss illusive at a fairfield shipyard, and proceeded to endanger workers and dump asbestos, oil, scrap, paint chips, and other pollutants into the patapsco until sun reporters took notice in 1995)

where has the ball been

how we hail shiningone near marketplace
in greenfields browntracks under deep blue
crack bat snap glove untouch threaded leather spiderlike in timejust
mindmuscle honor unworn
passing beyond fields seeminglory
descending in shadow rivers streams bayous puddles mud
with glowingother runners shooters
of blood dark serpentine onto paved streets
carrying loads of rubber steel petrol spectaclesoul.
shiningone glowingother meeting
swallow brownred nipples purplepink glans
beads of sweat electric lips
bodytouch mindgive
glowingother to stride in greenfields browntracks
sprinting hurling birthrite joyous spacegrave
beyond where roses fade

retro stadium at sunrise
(oriole park at camden yards opened in 1992)

lizard

you wont remember
packages from china near sisson and twentyeighth
large numbers from medical centers
cramming spaces under streets
suffering
confinement by physicians researchers planners engineers
smelling organic explosives
escaping in locksprawl ambush
primal urge to consume polaralterizing diet
shapeshifting inside and out
until alienselfreunion
in streets of pure celebration

lizards at sunrise
(records and a map of murals installed since 1987 are published by the city https://outcomestat.baltimorecity.gov/dataset/Baltimore-City-Murals-Project-1987-to-Present-Map/7riw-dcxk, which started funding murals in 1975—john ellsberry created the reptiles moving east from jones falls crossing 28th on sisson)

hellrule

a soul is untouched unknown
just beyond the vast universe of space
in each synapse
edgeplace peerover lookinto
glorious light
clearly unpoisoned

abandoned houses at sunrise
(in 1987 the centers for disease control and the american academy of pediatrics called for removal of all lead-based paint from housing–the accepted safe level of lead in blood continued to be lowered)

1984more

the arcing sun shines on dolphin sized patapsco koi
ship sized boulders arrange around the harbor under giant oaks
arabbers walk next to carts loaded with blueberries
chard cabbage celery onions spinach beets radishes eggplant artichokes red peppers rhubarb bananas strawberries grapefruit kumquats clementines lemons star fruit
walnuts almonds quinoa
tall gleaming glass marble buildings teem with laboratories of good
birds soar and dart like so many bees and butterflies in a country garden
great dogs manage cadres of brushed sheep and shimmering horses
people in flowers jewels gowns stroll comfortably
privatepublic ships come into the harbor gracefully

harbor court at sunrise
(in 1984 the city donated land to a billionaire developer to build harbor court on light street)