Here I go again
pulling down my pants
in public
and hoping that I get
some kind of reaction
from the crowd
someday I will feel better
about myself
and I'll no longer
feel a need to
lay myself bare
and write about things
I should've drunk
from my memory
long ago
but they don't care
these others I try to amuse
they look
and sniff at my writing
and if it doesn't
prick them
or assault them
they go on to the next thing
this is a world
gone cold and dull and
to get attention
you must draw blood
it is the constant
static chatter of noise
in the background:
a television is droning somewhere
and cellphones are playing
tinkertoy versions of
the classics
and I am immersed in an ocean of
the one-sided conversations
that accompany them
all these noises settle in around
the edges of our consciousness
it's no wonder we need
everything louder
with more explosions
and supercharged orgasms
everything in this world
is in competition
with everything else in the
world
for attention
for a snatch of time
for a validating and approving
nod
and this was my shot
for today