She wrote it on a
Napkin
Which wiped the mouth
Of a fat man
Then disposed of
In a closed bin
He wedged his
Hand in
And it looked
Like a password
And an address
With a mess of
Pasta sauce
The spicy and
Pungent
Meal was done
He dug in
Yes this was
The one
Purring to draw you
In
The black cat whose
Eyes capture
The beguiling pattern
And four paws that pause
Before making a streak
Of this feline
Disappearing
About her neck
Had been plucked
From the skull
Of an empress
Disturbing her sleep
Of ages
She’d once kept
Entire villages in cages
So when it glimmered
And pulsed with runic
Hue she’d remove it
Fearing its malefic power
One day she misplaced
It and a giant rat in
Her apartment appeared
Wearing it but it didn’t faze
Her, he could only dodge
Her broom a tiny bit better
The wig you wore
Was it for adventure
Or were you on the
Lam
The twisted curls
And tawdry
Color
I made a note
That you were eating
Clams
The ketchup runny
The alley
Cold case connie
Feels funny
The vagrant heard nothing
Out of the alley ordinary
Is of course well hidden
There you need the razor de verite
To do your bidding
And if the goatee clings
The mower de tres reality de things
Go fetch me a shadow
He would say, one gnarled finger pointing the way
The shadow plucked from the staircase
Placed in an animal skin bag
His crusted lips barely turning up
Now keep an eye on yours
While the sun narrowed through the doors
Mr walking stick
Does a trick
Frazzled the nerves
Curves the dazzle
Of the moon
Under it
In it
Talking to him in
Passing
It’s a riding crop
Then isn’t
There’s a drop
Of temperature
But no limp
These toasts that float
In rings about your head
Jellies and jams
Are they ectoplasms
When the plates
Began to smash
Spiraling eggs and ketchup
We had to contact
Some man who’d died
By
Maplesyrupcide
Over the radio
Appears
When you listen
Bright pink
On sale
But when you don’t
Blue
Faded
No discount