Sestina In Lebanese Smoke
You’ve seen it on TV, heard it on the newsAbout the long, white-faced black-eyed killerProwling Philly alleys in black van with busted clockStuck at 10:16 bought for a case of beer and a dollarMidnight in Camden from a man in red snakeskin shoesWho spoke in Lebanese smoke, only in past tense. Rearview-mirror-hung crystal wriggles the diamond of present tenseOut of Park into Drive the future swings light in a noose.At every red stop light, every twist of pig squeal break shoes,That stab of Catholic guilt, perpetual nagging buzz killer –Then yellow canines, hanging tongues – and sure as a dollarRed