coifford pikus
scratched into a table
half moon
earl grey tea
who are you,
all in black?
reading of art
Dali, perhaps?
naked woman standing
do you hear the music
all around you?
"won't you come and save me?
Jesus Christ, deny your maker"
you walk away
return with –
I smile –
cookies, a brownie
do you see me watching you
black haired stranger?
I stare at the
pitted concrete surrounding us
and wonder
who is coifford pikus?
I’ve seen you before,
pale stranger
I’ve seen you laugh
and smile
a hundred times before
by merely chance
of glancing in your direction
look out at the room
I see the voice of another’s hands
or the hands of another’s voice
him I know, but who are you?

09/23/2001

Posted on 09/23/2001
Copyright © 2025 Gary Hoffmann