red-blue-red

hyper endorphin scat red bop rebel
crank pedal medley madness
reggae induced motion psychic
a back dropped straight
parallel with the top tube
a smooth
spear in the wind
hear it whistle
shout
awake!

burned hollow below the surface
raw texture yawning disbelief
egocentric root canal
carved like a dug-out canoe
a pile of pulp and wood chips
cover each nerve ending
disconnecting
all relevant reasoning
washed in blue and pointless

a bead of sweat grows to red hot puddles
rejected sewer runoff
silver spokes
lightning charged serpents
spin a draft of air swirls
a vacuum shot of adrenalin screaming innocence
unearthed barren pavement
shifts near the mountain crest
gropes ahead in darkness
drinking twisted red and blue

--- e b bortz

cleveland heights lee road library circa 1996