from Downtown Brooklyn #17

WE CAN’T AFFORD THAT PARTICULAR HUMAN TRAIT AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME

he took the crumpled piece of paper from her dirty hand / I could see that he slowly blinked at it & he winced / almost like it was hurting him to look at it / he seemed for a long time to consider what the scratchy writing & thin shaky line drawings might mean / what the marks on the paper symbolized about what he & his fellows had become / then he handed the paper back to her & he looked away & he whispered something / I could just make out what he said / I find these pictures revolting but whatever keeps them at a safe distance is fine by me / it might also discourage other survivors from approaching the perimeter / but that’s a chance we’ll have to take / they’re going to have to look out for themselves / she didn’t say anything / but he must have thought she was about to / he turned his head back around & he looked at her with that one good eye of his & he let out a long sigh & then he went back to his sewing / as if to say don’t go getting all bent out of shape / we can’t afford that particular human trait at this particular time

THERE’S WHAT WE WISH WAS TRUE & THERE’S THE TRUTH

go get one of the shiny ones & carry it / I want you to look on the verge of fire / & I want you to look it from far off / we need a whimpering mob at the gate bout like we need another run of fever in here / they just gone hafta go someplace else for help / it might seem cruel I know but we got enough of our own problems / yes sir we do / maybe it ain’t visible to others but it’s clear as day to me / ain’t no need to go asking for ourselves to get eat / so you tramp back & forth here like I told you / & hold that shiny barrel up where the sun can glint on it / anybody who sees our smoke we want them to see you holding that gun too / keep on walking / nobody friendly up here / you tramp till I tell you to stop that’s how long / I ain’t gone let you dern kids forget how you nearly got us all killed / come at me talking bout there’s a horse coming up the path can we keep him / bout had the gate opened before I had a chance to get a word out / can we keep him / horse but no rider I asked right away / told you all to get back away from the gate / it’s one of them using the horse for cover I said / sure as I was standing there that’s what it was / idea was he’d wait until the last minute to get up on the horse & scoot over the wall & open the gate / only then would the others come tearing down the hill / member how you children got all excited / never rode no horse not a one of you / well I shot through the horse & winged the two legged bastard sure enough hiding back of him / he stumbled out into the open / member his big strong looking arms / member that god-awful sound he took to making / member how I hollered right back at him / they didn’t pick you cause of your beautiful singing voice did they Stinky

EVEN THE MOUNTAINS HAVE BEEN STOLEN FROM US

since you know about next to nothing on monsters I been assigned to look after you / & first thing I’ll say is that going out dressed like a dam toy soldier’s just gone get you killed / plenty of civilian garments serve you just as well as them dam fatigues / & they ain’t gone draw nearly as much attention neither / there’s more than one kind of wild man out in the world / now you remember that / true the less dangerous variety might not exactly try to eat your brains / but he’ll dam sure leave you dead / & for goodness sake carry your weapon up underneath your poncho like this here / that way can’t nobody see it & it won’t glint in the sun / otherwise what’s the use in even having the dam thing / might as well carry a big old sign that says here I am big & juicy come & get me boys / you get that through your thick skull right now / understand / they ain’t sending you cause you’re anywhere near as smart as you think you are / they’re only sending you cause you’re strong & fast / & cause you gone hafta learn some time / if you’re gone stay alive you’re gone have to know what it’s really like out there / outside the fence / look here / this ain’t no leisure vacation / & it dam sure ain’t no goddam video game / you keep your head down / but you keep your eyes open hear / you got a job to do & you got people to come back to / I ain’t getting on to you / I’m just saying / no sightseeing is all I mean / trust me / that old blue sky looks a hell of a lot better when you’re looking at it from back behind some razor wire / safe & secure from all alarms like it says / now go on & get out of here real quiet like & run their dam errand for’em / soon as you get back I’ll sit & look up at the sky with you as long as you want

DEAR SIR SURELY YOU HAVE LAID UP KINGLY STORES

doubtless you marvel daily at the success of your riverside fiefdom / certainly you have hoarded much of value / items accepted as payment from other rational men needing ferry service / I’m sure you’re a big success / yes I’m being a little sarcastic / I suppose you have heard that our war raged on / strength against very real strength / just as it always has & always will / of course there have been no media reports to keep you thusly informed / but there are always the screams / by now you know that your parting words to us were in error / by now you realize that the words you spoke as you left the camp were gravely mistaken / we were not fools to lock ourselves in like cattle / & things did not get better outside the fences / our memory of your parting words did not make us wish we had gone with you / we did not envy you / I’m sure you know by now what I mean / in fact I believe you knew the truth even then / even as you herded your woman & daughter into the hills / with your eyes bright / your greedy heart intent on making dreams of kingship come true / but you can’t have found your own argument persuasive / when you swore they would run out of steam if we just waited them out / if we just gave mother nature a little more time/ when you promised your wife you would always be able to stay one step ahead / outsmart them / they were just dumb beasts / unable to get any better at killing than they already were / dear sir / they learned to grin & shake hands / to carry on conversations / just as the old woman said they would before you ruled against her & locked her in the box / I suppose you know we let her out just as soon as your three heads disappeared over the horizon / the old woman said don’t hand over your lives to just any smiling face that appears at the gate / she warned us if you don’t play it safe one day you’ll look up & there they’ll be / setting up shop in the market at dawn / if you don’t play it safe / we followed her instructions / clouds blew by & blew by / I don’t know how many but there were lots & lots of clouds / the old woman told us a castle doesn’t just build itself / the rule of law / democracy / & justice / motels with clean towels / she told us all these things come only from years of hard work / she said if we just worked hard enough we might have a chance / for a while it seemed possible / we built up the residential quarter / wrestled some vegetables from the dirt / collected rainwater / reinforced the fence / a lot of that / & all along there they were / milling around just beyond the fence / lords of the countryside / smiling & calmly explaining why we ought to just let them in / they could help us / I’m leaving this note here in case you ever come back / so you know not to stay / it’s not safe / if you’re reading this you know they got in / or somebody got stupid & let them in / if you have come back I guess it means your plan didn’t work out either / dear sir / sorry about that / I really am / but don’t feel too bad / the old woman was wrong too / motels / she must have been lying about the towels