Didja, huh?

Did you know
that the madder
you get,
the more you resemble
a four letter verb
I saw painted
on the side of
driving into Orange County?
It too was an ugly expression
I met in passing,
and for once
I was glad
I was moving
further into the seared,
metallic sunset,
senses splayed
by radial tires
and American steel,

glad the way I am now
to let you
make your days
even grimmer
than lounging shadows
of the smoke stacks
that fall over your
apartment building
as you listen
to radio and
watch cable TV
at the same time.
Did you ever notice
something moving
outside,something making
noise
in the center of the afternoon,
voices in conversation
from people
who are actually
facing each other
over drinks or smokes they bummed?


Did ja, huh?