Where We Live

For John Guare I used to live in a mother now I live in a sunflower Blinded by the silverware Blinded by the refrigerator I sit on a sidewalk in the sunflower and its yellow downpour The light of  the world beads up on one perfect green leaf It scribbles its name on every living thing then erases it so what’s left is more of a whisper than a mother Here it’s spring Over and over and over again • I used to live in a cloud now I live in a crow It’s tiny and crippled in there but I can find my way to the bathroom in the dark if   I need to All the windows in the crow are left open and let the clouds in Back in They float past my bed and have nothing to say Hello it’s nice to meet you! From a telephone pole tongues slide out singing welcome home Welcome home they sing • I used to live in a tree now I live in a king He waves his arms in front of   him and endless migrations of   birds disappear into his coat I like to sit up inside his crown eating sandwiches and watching tv Hills shake in the distance when he shuffles his feet Floods when he snaps his fingers I bow inside his brow and the afternoon stretches out Orders more sandwiches And sells the slaves and sets the slaves free and sells the slaves