culture shock
the Jefferson/Benson game -- tlk

A sea of faces like
black velvet -- cm

rubbing sticks together
the fiddle player blazes -- tlk

I catch a feeling easier than a cold -- cm

in a sea of outburst
I lose the pen
in my hair -- tlk

watching merry brown eyes
dance, the same ones
everyone sees -- cm

that day I caught myself
in the mirror and called in sick -
dancing -- tlk

the day after I was sick
I went to work -- cm

the old pond
a frog jumps in
the FAX jams -- tlk

the tunes jam
the tape jams
I wish for a CD player - cm

musicians ride the scum
passion and poets
await legislation -- tlk

the NEA rejects
another artistic grant
no way to validate a life -- cm

eating black beans
straight from the cup --
no microwaves -- tlk

only tsunamis
in the midst of an emotional storm -- cm