new york city

The flies are angry bits of life Bukowski

i flew to new york city for the first time
i walked to time square and took the subway
everywhere i walked, gum stuck to my shoes
on every subway car, rats hurried under the seats

i skipped up and out of the subway
and smelled the stink of a new york poem,
or, at least, the first line of one
'...crack the skull and wipe a pool of blood'

i booked three days at a side street inn
every time i stood in the lobby, i had to pay
every time i sat at the bar, i had to pay
so i sipped and slurped from my six-dollar beer
and squirted out another line
'...bury the bones and bleed a veil of pain'

i turned a corner and found a diner
and sat and stared at the menu
bacon and eggs, i had to pay
burger and fries, i had to pay
so i took a bite out of my four-dollar toast
and spit out another line
'...dim the sun and spread a mist of gloom'

i walked a mile or two to battery park
and leaned on the rail of a metal fence
and blinked and squinted at the lady liberty
looking like alcatraz out in the bay
so i took out my old box camera
and shot another line
'...roast the guts and boil a pot of brain'

i stood and stared at a horse and carriage
and asked for the fare, i had to pay
and heard, i had to pay
i stepped on gum and smelled the horse plop
so i crapped out another line
'...slit the wrist and slash a pair of arms'

i looked at my watch and found my shoes
and walked and ran and scurried
to a cab, a plane and a place
away from new york city
'...foul the sweet and kick a crack of noon'