THE NATURAL AND UNNATURAL ARE NATURALLY UNNATURAL

THE RITUAL

Trumpet shouts blind
on Rays' disc;
blood gets sucked
up
twice.
Black sun
rise changing,
climbing broken steps
into steam-heated
quinine room:
who'sdat?
meman.
(quiet

dry tongues lick
empty bags
water sque
ezed
gently into cap
match lit (it began before the climb)
draw it
draw it
up (again)
(again
eeez
get it mixed
boot it (once
boot it (twice)
now...
aw,
dat's nice.

That was the way the first day ended.

Norman Savage
Coney Island, 1969

AFTER

Smoke,
after the rain,
rising
from black tar
syrupy streets,
are all that's left,
after
a summer's
lightening storm.

Norman Savage
Coney Island, 1969