guys and dolls

   I.

   yma sumac sing for me i am your daughter 
   and i am dying a slow death in ukiah california 
   my death measured by the monotonous beat 
   of the conductors baton in the pit 
   while nathan detroit does frank sinatra 
   lets shoot crap while in the pit 
   the lady who plays clarinet 
   has bridges of madison county on her lap 
   i stare at the score smell cigar smoke 
   and stage lights burning burning burning rosin sticky 
   on my fingers this second violin part sucks 
   six sharps and flats i cant stand it 
   i am like you yma sumac i want a man who'll howl 
   for me carve stone knives slit his chest and tear 
   out his heart still beating who'll drive fast 
   on icy mountain roads shed his skin play with fire 
   i want ashes

   luck be a lady tonight
   luck be a lady tonight

   II.

   shrunken
   heads
   ooze
   in amazon mud
   with
   hollow eyes
   stitched skin
   and very
   bad hair
   oh adelaide
   you are right
   a person 
   can de-
   velop
   a bad
   bad
   cold


Prayer

   mother earth ‹
   goddess ‹
   i believe that you are hurting.

   mother earth ‹
   goddess ‹
   you are very old
   and your rivers are old
   and your forests are old
   and they say that you are dying
   and so i say
   recycle! recycle! recycle!


Poem for the Millennium

   they are bleeding
	   in bosnia	they are bleeding
		   in grozny	they are bleeding
			in oklahoma city

   they are even
	   bleeding
		   in ukiah