the column of iron
blood cells, riot fraternity bandits
breaking up weed glaze pornography constitution
turgid
smeared
slick-surface
curdled floor features
but i fell asleep
standing slump-upright
as German trains rumbled past me
pumping fists around my crusted eyes
(when I was a pop-star dream)
you win
i am vanquished
better men: you can
“light a fire around my corpse”
“unable to call my lawyer so late tonight”
you are just good-natured children, so
go dance around the iron column
bouncing to  rhythm
but, blood cells like a good party
so, friends, the granite chunk is my gift
each inmate who wails
stuffs a prayer in his cheek
sucking
because the joke has a punch-line
the joke ends
it ends
and radiation is shot into the tissues
Text and Images © Andrew Auten – All Rights Reserved
