Black Birds and Stolen Trucks by Marvinlouis Dorsey

 

Black Birds

and

Stolen Trucks

 

a

Bobby John Press

 

Poetic Libretto

 

Marvinlouis

 

Hello

good-

bye

 

let us try

 

to let go

of what

 

is thought a-

bout who

i am

 

be-

cause

no-

one

 

can see

the million

 

bro-

ken

pieces

 

of

this

thing

 

called

me

 

Was day-

drea-

ming of

some-

place else

the nerve of

a simple hu-

man being

 

the

ring-

ing in

my ears

has contin-

ued to cause

havoc in my

silence

 

i’m

trying to

get still

 

no one

came not

to feel up hill

battles often

draw out more

than just

blood

tears

 

how many

years be-

fore

you

stop

caring

 

such a daring

thought

to

see so a-

lone

 

why is it

that grown

men can’t cry

how can one be

forced to live so

strong

 

all a-

long

i’ve been

my own

man

 

now

here he

stands

 

catch-

ing

 

his

breath

Gray

hairs rites

of pas-

sages

 

a black

man try-

ing to

grow

old

 

how could

it be called bold

for a person to

live life

 

whose weather

vein doesn’t blow

around in circles

whose lucky enough

to look back at a

path well worn

 

another

chance do it

all over again

 

who would

be

so fucking

crazy

 

please don’t

let it be me

 

Black

birds gat-

hered in flight

in mid-

storm what’s

the normal thing

to do to-

day

when

there’s no

limits

when

any-

thing is

pos-

sible

 

the sky

was meant

to never look

the same

twice

 

i

blame

me

 

for

my

lack

 

of vis-

ion

Big rig

tires no-

longer on

fire white

smoke dis-

sipates

 

the ground waits

for burnt red flakes

wings carried

ashes

 

turkey vultures

eat any-

thing like

wed-

ding ringed

fingers from

dead big rig driver

wicked was the last

smile on his dis-

torted face

 

bad

time

 

un-

avoidable

place

 

too

much

 

tech knowledge

too

easy too

hard not

to

 

so quickly

taking pictures

 

as if the men-

tal image

didn’t hurt

enough

 

a sto-

len truck

a looky loo

 

i’m still in

shock cun-

fused

 

how hard

it is i know

how loud

 

a man can

scream

 

while com-

pletely

engulfed

 

in

flames

Re-

flection

in win-

dow mirror

blue

sky moun-

tain hori-

zon

 

don’t be

afraid turn

away from

the look in your

own eyes it’s the

things closest to you

that go un-

noticed

 

ho-

ning

this thing

called liv-

ing giving more

than my-

self

 

what could

leave no-

thing

 

i’m giving

you all that

i am

Floa-

ting a-

bove my

head some-

one’s dy-

ing hea-

ven

 

when I

was e-

leven remem-

ber a grave

site late

one night

a friend blee-

ding i’m still grie-

ving his young death

 

some-

one is wri-

ting a song

hold on may-

be its me

 

lost in rhyme

rhythm melody

come sing with

me said the voice

blowing across high

desert Sunday mor-

ning sky

 

i

find

me here

 

still

looking