America

 
America
    Thats my shadow on the wall
     Tongue tied in a thousand silent prayers
      Washing away
           The ashes and stains
 
My America
     Of razors and discarded condoms
      Hep-a-fied hypos
 
Upstate junkies
With their withdrawal drawl
Angels of the alleys
      And dark dirt roads
 
I walk the frozen hell  
Of those upstate roads
     Looking for a law to piss on
 
Deserted in the shadows of the American Dream
     Fractured, gaudy, and cold in the gutters
 
My stomach somersaulting at the words
     The way things used to be
 
The bloated body of beatnik culture
    Raped again
         Waiting for the words to be spoken
 
I speak not the words
     But write
 
Slowly at first
    Then faster
        And harder
Until I reach the crescendo
     That savage note
The climax that leaves you screaming
     With blood shot eyes
          Hand shaking with the energy of a million
      Nervous breakdowns
 
America  
     The commies are gone
      The hippies retreated
 
Everyday a new horoscope  
     For the depraved and addicted
 
A man tells me in the Laundromat
    That he has seen America
         And it just isn’t here
Anymore
 
A house  
A garage
Two cars and job
 
Abortion clinic rejects
     Walking the streets
          With pawn shop smiles
 
So
     Pray and Pray and Pray to pay
For my America
 
America  
     I’m tired.