Careful There, Pardner
Posted on 30 August 2009
The flickering morning bus to my right
(passing the Rite-Aid at Beverly and La Cienega)
proclaims from her metal flanks
that the joyful black boy billboard prince
wants a bajillion McDonald’s McNuggets.
And a head turns.
I spot it
(the guy in the Caddy in front of me,
dawn sun across his retrogressive bow
just his silhouette).
A frown?
A Jesse Helms stiffness in the neck?
Yes.
Hating the African American boy’s joy.
His black and chrome fenders fighting
for his Ronald Reagan California,
and the John Wayne of it all.
And keep these people where they need to be.
And all those wars that make our world free.
What’s happened to our Eisenhower pure streets
those liberal fucks? And I start to pull around him.
Get a good look. Scarecrow arms.
Sends contributions to Bush/Cheney/Ashcroft.
He turns again
can’t help himself
bristles at the boy again.
Rage at his pickaninny youth
that could be one day president
and Rice/Powell/Thomas. Shit.
Over his tight ass dead body.
And the NRA.
Ah, the day
when the cops held sway
And the racist steering wheel
as the
sun flashing,
unblinds me,
pulling up even
(the creep)
a peek
and I see
the man
instead
is black
and old
and content.
8 responses to Careful There, Pardner
You know, it’s funny. I had meant to close the bathroom door before doing the poem, but I did a take or two, felt good about how I’d read it, then realized I’d left the door open. I really thought for a bit about whether I should do it again with the door closed, so I understand where all of you are coming from about being disgusted or irritated or whatever (just feel that I’m stupid, perhaps) for not having paid attention to that, but upon reflection (to the degree, I agree, that I can do that) I’m glad I left it open. Because, I guess it is warts and all (or pores and all). And perhaps (as some have suggested) this is just an egotistical exercise and I’m really not qualified to be trying to do this – so be it – I’m going to do it anyway. And if I am a washed up director, not a director at all, really, or not a poet or even a writer, really – so be it. I have sometimes ended some of this by saying, “for what it’s worth” – maybe all of this is worth nothing – so be it, too. The point I guess (at least for this moment) is that the blog is here. That I’m here, whether I’ve done (or am doing) anything important or not doesn’t really matter – a lot of people haven’t done much either (some people barely make it through the day) – and they’re here and I’m here and I guess I think that’s just fine. Not to mention, that I’m often on the toilet like everybody else so that’s there too. So, though I had the same thoughts many of you had re the toilet (and a lot of what has been criticized re my blog) I’m kind of glad (I grimace some too, though) that I left it all in.
The book is Claptrap – go to the poetry section of this blog where you can get it if you want. I think you’re right re my new poetry. I’ve been focusing on a novel frankly and a wonderful writer Alan Sillitoe said recently that prose just sucks the poetry out of you. I posted these more recent poems because there has been something about the New Age poem that haunted me and the Helga@80 poem was to a personal friend and there’s a lot here that’s personal If people don’t like the personal stuff (or any of the stuff) – that’s great. If people do like it that’s great too. I read the poems here on the blog because I think poems should be experienced out loud
I think what I want to respond to here is “why are you doing this?” I think I would like to ask you the same thing and then speculate. Is it because you wanted to express how you felt? That I irritated you (fair enough) and you just wanted to let me know? Therefore you exist on this blog, which in a strange way is kind of miraculous. You think I’m a fool – and that’s probably true, depending upon your definition of fool. And where are you? Somewhere out there on planet earth and yet suddenly two human beings are existing in this strange new place (new in the context of human history) – one, a fool, the other someone who sees the fool. What makes someone not a fool? What really are you? What really am I? And then I find myself less apologetic about the focus on this blog being about me. In some strange way (maybe foolish) I am trying to get a fix on what it is to be human here in 2009 in the United States. I’m only one in millions, but this one is all I’ve got, so that’s what I’m going to explore and I appreciate (which might sound strange, or foolish) you’re sharing a bit of who your are here. Now, admittedly, I’ve speculated on why you commented here. I’m more than interested in what your thoughts are on why you commented and who you are.
My birthday is on October 4th. I’ll still keep doing what I’ve been doing for the reasons I discussed in my reply above to Freeman. Besides, what else is there to talk about? What’s more interesting than us human beings? So much of our culture now is about something else – that was what Sunset Strip Stripped was trying to explore a bit – there’ll probably be more little pieces like that which explore some of this stuff further, all of which will happen after my 60th birthday.
Wow, All of this vitriolic stuff flying through cyberspace. It makes me wonder why people who are so offended, put-off by what Steve has to say, yet they continue giving it their attention. He is doing something interesting and productive- don’t know what the rest of you are doing, but really, get a life! (No, I am not being paid to say this)
You’ve removed the malicious comments on your posts which is good because many visitors have been put off by them. But your replies and replies from some others remain. Maybe you have a reason for this? But new visitors will be confused as to what you’re talking about.
You’re right. Thank you. I decided to just let a little chaos exist right now as the website finds it’s balance. If someone visits and is a little confused, it’s not the end of the world, since the attacks were a little confusing too. It turned out it was just one person, pretending to be quite a few people. False advertising – not unusual in this country, or anywhere. Frankly, I welcome constructive criticism. How do we get anywhere without it? But brutal attacks designed to destroy are just the same old thing and the same old thing means nothing evolves. We’re trying to have this website, not to mention ourselves, evolve a bit if we can. If it’s a little messy along the way, so be it…
Really good.
I’m here in Washington, DC — been here since 1972 — and, with the almost magical election of Obama — it gets worse and worse.
I naively thought the election meant that America was moving in the direction of the EU, away from racism and nationalism.
But, no, it was one election and, once the guy is in, the racism intensifies to a murderous level.
You are so right. They want Ike’s America back. But it’s gone. And both law and demographics guarantee it will never return.
So they just smolder.
Even my kinsmen, the Jews, are progressive on everything but the one issue that affects their blood myths.
I suppose it’s better in LA, in the sense that the farther west you go, the farther from the various ghettos we choose for ourselves. I guess.
Great work.