In this assignment, Reuben instructed us to incorporate the following line into our poem: the evening sky fell through the glass wall and we stood alone somewhere. I was immediately drawn to the words which consequently reminded me of an incident I had with a friend while living in New York City. The words are actually taken from song title by the Art Ensemble of Chicago.
Friendly Fire
I could’ve lifted everything
south of 14th street
and thrown it at you
but boys will be boys
and you had his back
as you pinned mine down
with your words
I got loose though and took off
pass the bodega
pass the bum
pass the bars
dodging people, cars, and you
who followed close behind
shouting the indictments and bearing the false witness
till we ended up in a place between Hell’s Angels and a garbage heap on 2nd
there we stopped
toe to toe
you on one side
me on the other
and half a city block between us
the air was hot and thick
our screaming voices tried desperately to make room
between the space closing in around us
until finally
I breathed in all the air left
And yelled
“Fuck You!”
and then suddenly, behind the echo of my words
the evening sky fell through the glass wall
and we stood alone somewhere
in a hollow silence
you bowed your head
and I then threw my tears to the floor
and watched a rat scurry away to find safety
among the trash.
©10/22/10psr