8/11 3 or 4

dirty carpet.  fluid stains
crumbs.  couch upholstery
made fuzzy by use.
formica tables inscribed
with constellations
of graffiti.  near table
just an empty sky,
one pock of skewed lines
the only mythical star-pattern.

i've spent 12 years describing
the minutiae of institutional
living.  sensations of what they call
learning, the experience of solitary
confusion, fingernail eating, realization.
long time for me to discover,
now,
that    i     hate    it.

fourth finger of left hand digs
chunk of dandruff up from
head. snagging rhythm attempt
to stimulate the brain.  doesn't
works.  dust remains
around .

how do managers live?
is it the satisfaction of having
only other people
's edges to worry about?
no risk of transformation 'cept
at the hands of Big Boss.
sip from the slipstream. manager
immutable beside the point

must i get to the point
that point
the point where
you know,
the point

--------------------------------------
8/11 midnight

newspaper bent and
crumpled
onthefloor.

strewn everywhere
strewn about the room
strewn around
strewn

around the room
dirty clothes
pine boards, waxed
phone books

newspaper piled and
folded
onthefloor.

stacked everywhere
piled about the room
piled around
piled

around the room
empty cigarette packs
Poland Spring bottles,
pay stubs

newspaper located and
located
onthefloor.