DANGEROUS POEMS by PATRICK ROSAL Lyrics
A poem thought it saw
the flash of an axe or ninja
star spinning toward it
in the dark. But the poem really saw
a man standing on a corner
waving his hands. The poem
got startled. The poem
got scared. The poem
didn’t understand what
the man was saying. If
the poem mistook the man
for a hydrant, would the poem
have shot? If the poem
mistook the man
for trash piled six-feet
high, would the poem have thought
twice? Every poem
comes from somewhere
—not just a long line
of other poems. Sometimes
a poem is the first
in its family to become
a poem. The poem that pulled out
a gun used to make-
believe like this
when it was young: The poem
hid in a dank basement
behind a couch
with tore up cushions.
The poem popped up
and shot the lamp
and the cartoon crows
on the screen and the lion
that lost half its stuffing. The poem
celebrated by screaming
at the top of its lungs. Now
the poem wears the same pants
and shoes as other poems
so they know on the street
which poems belong,
which poems don’t.
Sometimes a poem learns how
other poems talk. Sometimes
poems learn how other poems
shut up. A poem sends
messages along frequencies
where other poems are likely
to be listening. A poem is not
a snitch. The buck-buck
of a poem’s gun rarely
travels the radio waves.
A poem reports its shooting
after the fact. The city will hold
a press conference
and a man will speak
on behalf of the poem. A poem
did it—slid the sidearm
free and pulled
the trigger six times.
The man waving his hands
on the corner showed the poem
all his ten fingers
but the poem didn’t
count them. One head shot
was enough. A poem did it. And
no one heard. What if a poem
mistook the man
for a man? It’s hard
to mistake a hand
for a hand. But a poem can mis-
take eyes for bullets
sailing straight for your neck
and a wallet for a glock
when it’s dark. It’s hard
to mistake the dark
for a blast of black
cloud filling the brain.
Can the poem imagine itself
as a man? Are there many poems
with no bodies? You see,
a poem did it. Last night,
a poem pulled out
its gun and shot
a man who had twenty
dollars in his pocket
and a space between
his top two front teeth.
The official investigation
has produced
no witnesses. After
a poem clocks in
it better not be caught
singing. When poems
in question have been asked
at last by mothers: What
happened What have you done
the poems are known
to answer: I’m a poem.
Mistakes happen. I was just
doing my job.
the flash of an axe or ninja
star spinning toward it
in the dark. But the poem really saw
a man standing on a corner
waving his hands. The poem
got startled. The poem
got scared. The poem
didn’t understand what
the man was saying. If
the poem mistook the man
for a hydrant, would the poem
have shot? If the poem
mistook the man
for trash piled six-feet
high, would the poem have thought
twice? Every poem
comes from somewhere
—not just a long line
of other poems. Sometimes
a poem is the first
in its family to become
a poem. The poem that pulled out
a gun used to make-
believe like this
when it was young: The poem
hid in a dank basement
behind a couch
with tore up cushions.
The poem popped up
and shot the lamp
and the cartoon crows
on the screen and the lion
that lost half its stuffing. The poem
celebrated by screaming
at the top of its lungs. Now
the poem wears the same pants
and shoes as other poems
so they know on the street
which poems belong,
which poems don’t.
Sometimes a poem learns how
other poems talk. Sometimes
poems learn how other poems
shut up. A poem sends
messages along frequencies
where other poems are likely
to be listening. A poem is not
a snitch. The buck-buck
of a poem’s gun rarely
travels the radio waves.
A poem reports its shooting
after the fact. The city will hold
a press conference
and a man will speak
on behalf of the poem. A poem
did it—slid the sidearm
free and pulled
the trigger six times.
The man waving his hands
on the corner showed the poem
all his ten fingers
but the poem didn’t
count them. One head shot
was enough. A poem did it. And
no one heard. What if a poem
mistook the man
for a man? It’s hard
to mistake a hand
for a hand. But a poem can mis-
take eyes for bullets
sailing straight for your neck
and a wallet for a glock
when it’s dark. It’s hard
to mistake the dark
for a blast of black
cloud filling the brain.
Can the poem imagine itself
as a man? Are there many poems
with no bodies? You see,
a poem did it. Last night,
a poem pulled out
its gun and shot
a man who had twenty
dollars in his pocket
and a space between
his top two front teeth.
The official investigation
has produced
no witnesses. After
a poem clocks in
it better not be caught
singing. When poems
in question have been asked
at last by mothers: What
happened What have you done
the poems are known
to answer: I’m a poem.
Mistakes happen. I was just
doing my job.