In the Awareness Shop at Twilight

Sunlight on notebooks
Casts shadows of the spirals;
Wall clock ticks loudly.
Through the window dying rays;
Little lamp cannot compete.

NEW ORLEANS--MARCH 2007

In the Airplane:

Big shaved bullet head
Sits hunched over his movie,
Staring as if blind.

New Orleans--March 2007

Feather in gray sky
Floats across the street car tracks--
Cajun radio.

Beads hang from the trees
Competing with Spanish moss.
Ghosts of Mardi Gras.

Middle of the Gulf,
Heron standing on a pile
Surveys the water.

Twisted bayou trees
Bare and black against the sky
Extend forever.

"We tear down houses"--
Sign hangs above the blank shells;
Buildings without life.

Skyscrapers ahead;
To the right, rows of rubble;
Uneven city.

Street car tracks extend--
St. Charles goes on forever
Without the street cars.

On the Way to the Airport:

Sad face in window:
Black boy stares out of school bus
Lit by rising sun.

New Paltz Trailway Tankas

3/13/2007

Cold fluorescent light;
Student reads book on the bench
while wriggling her feet.
Red letters say ATM
Above the silver machine.

Black girl sits on bench
Studying her fingernails
With self-conscious pout.
Outside people shift and wait;
One man stares into the air.

Man with beret yawns,
Then goes back to his writing;
But wait! That is me!
Two cars in the parking lot
Their tail lights softly glow red.

Man walks through the door
Lightly touches pouting girl;
He comes to meet her.
The two swish out of the room.
Once again it is empty.

Girl strides through the door
Heading for the ATM
Machine makes strange tones.
Her head is bent like praying,
Then the money slithers forth.

Endless train cars pass;
Red light glows against gray sky;
Cowboy sings sad song.