garbage for mars

for example:

the curious rationale of a wilful act of destruction, e.g.

throwing an aluminum can in the trash

which is redeemable

which act is founded upon a complicated assumption only

comprehensible to the intuitive mind, e.g. that the combing &

dutyful hands of a pauper will happily pull it to land

which theory is confirmed by a circle of ignorance/bliss, or of

reciprocal valuation, or diatonic filtration, or something

involving spheres

there are thousands of gritty fingers foreverly pulling them out

“ME 10c,” they say

if i am discursive are you then discursed?

in the big can there are chunks of aluminum there is a quivering

jelly

there are shallots of grace in the lander

send garbage to mars

and some great unknowable will pick it up, you inject

some undiscovered bum some uncatalogued destroyer some merciful hands

for example:

brooklyn never asked for your diapers

nor the island for your wishes

and shit in the yard it will make additions to the house

problematic

encourage imperfect foundation             spackled on marshes like chelsea

the bedrock submerged

or else:

instamatic incisions carve off the sight of your eyes

and fences blur the ability to identify

the precedent is that it is not shrinking

if the bus driver doesn’t believe then leap for the fountain

if the principal doesn’t believe then lunge for the pail

inconsistencies of scale will fetter your questions

& queries will circumvent chasing your tail

there is no more “bite it but

take care not to hurt milady is rising from garbage and flowers

milady is shedding waxed paper like scales

and wednesday

is half price day wednesday

is cellophaned squishies and oozes of cream

wednesday is riding away to the island compacted and crumpled and smelling

of ripe rot and old lace with a yowl

and a scratching of claws

for example:

the canyon is yet only three feet deep

and the cheese rinds are rising from bubbles and squeaks

send garbage to mars

displacing our other excursions

send garbage to mars

and find a resealable bag

she says the rot is retarded

therefore the smell is staved off

therefore the crumbs remain submerged

and save us the pain of the razor

stradlater is waving his tongs

stradlater scatters his commas

stradlater’s falling down wednesday in ashes and promises

under his seams

take out the ash can call it a flower

take out the scraps and pour them in honey and

calibrate the timing of rinds

bananas are slower than cardboard

and diamonds are faster than plastic

send garbage to mars and line up the wickets

and send the balls through with a bang

send garbage to mars and fill in the black holes and bang up the vaccums

in comfort and clutter and junk

it’s too cold for compost

it’s fat in the backyard send

garbage to mars

copyright 2000, g chao