Regurgitated Life
by Meer Singh
found poem from “Giovanni’s Room” by James Baldwin
Towering over time,
bitter children shake
naked rock waiting
for oil to erupt
from deep beneath.
Hemmed together
in dust and
silence so far
from home,
their wrinkled fingers
make traffic out
of lifetimes,
turn flesh
into money,
reach with
the power
to crush
and make
whole again.
Beside me,
their warped
discoveries spill
into scalding water
where the fish
choke on dirty
sea and the fleeting
watch the world
pass by in
empty hurry.
It is said
moments such
as these are
a necessity, that stone
must be uncovered by
promised inventors,
that our sun-dried jungles
must be deserted
for yellowing streets.
maybe i am
archaic, searching
for the key in
strange, minor
shapes. but i am
mortal and want to live
beyond this.