philly drowning

I


All night

The rain's been making rivers

drowning men in

schyulkyll

passyunk

moyamensing

conshohocken

streets that were

people who shouted

like the staggering man

shirtless muscle yelling

"aaagggh" and "aaaaaaagh"

feet pounding concrete to let the earth know

he is coming and his voice

intent

but still

he falls face down on Washington

shirt in hand

the water rising fast

perhaps that's why

the cops won't stop their boats for him

but sail on

as he resumes his lurching run

south Broad, he leans on

trashbins
cars
lamposts sometimes
the sidewalk

and a man across the river sits
arms on his knees
below the bus stop sign
and
speculates

"maybe drugs"
he owns the grocery
he points
today a woman entered
"crazy"
bared her breasts
for everyone to see

he shakes his head
the runner's in a push up stance
but trying not to fall

on his left arm
a plastic band is white

with lamps
and the moon full searchlight - will it find him
under
racing clouds
like they have somewhere to be.

He'll charge as far as Tasker
then
who knows


II

the water's seeped
into my shoes
the socks are extra skin
and now
my pulse
is in my shirt

shoelaces
and shirt buttons
are prison bars

in the frenzy to strip

clinging pants
t-shirt
briefs
I

hurl them from my bed
the wall keeps them too close

it's not enough
with only skin

i'm still
not near as naked
as I need to be

III

he shouted "cuz", "hey cuz"
and wanted dollars
coins
whatever
he had walked
he said, from the Northeast
and his trashbag armour
reflected everything

IV

I bent
in the light of passing cabs
to tie my shoe
remembering
the desperate importance
that my shoe be tied
by father,
for me
while I watched.
but that was day
and he had darker hair
and i was not so haunted
that the river would seem inviting
when the rain had made it wide
and dark and full of secret
things

V

sometimes
cabs will slow
and honk

"Teruah" blasts

all night
at 24th and south
the residents
of that corner apartment
hear
beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep
and know who's coming from the bridge

VI


"Manayunk": The roaring water.
all the rivers high, this year.
This wet september, with the hidden sun.
And west to east: the pines; the cedar bogs; the beaches
with long grass, pipers, crabs; the tiding sea
our sea, our salty sea
waves singing to the sky
that saw the boats that brought us
dry to shore

socks, shoes, whole sets of clothes laid
sudden on street and walk
like someone had a rapture slowly or all at once or multiples in the joy joy night released and have not come down yet from whoever they were smoking.
The clouds are full of seed and souls
drifting north-northeast to the Atlantic.