The Rip Post                                                                                              


POSTER CHILDREN IN NEED OF FACELIFTS, TAKE ONE

what did your face wind up having to say today?
how good do your ears see?
i know the escalator ride gets longer every day
and you truly get tired of having to stay put as
everything seemingly slowly rises under you
will the bargains still be waiting at the top?
and just what lives on top of the top?
hunger hangs loose on every corner
it claims its been eating okay but
when you look direct into the eyes
you can tell what is howling there
the poster children are not afraid to go on O'Reilly's show
the so called number one Fox eleven news thing
they talk about all the facelifts they are going through
to make the panoramic drive better
time and space have not been too congenial to them
but why should it?
bring down the golden telephone book of promise
turn to the yellow pages of hope
pick any one there and have fun calling them
you will call for days on end
and all you will get is a message machine that
changes constantly
the message i got this morning simply said
Hello you Have Reached the End of the Line and we are
not in right now so leave your blood type and we
will get back to you
i'd prefer them to get eyes to me
i can see their back anytime
but its when you get to climb into their eyes
that you can really get the swing music
of their attempt at living
the train pulls in
you've been kind of done in hanging around the depot
the bathroom there, if they had one, is locked
or so the note says in the door
the train pulls in and the conductor
is a waft of smoke that you rub into your skin
and suddenly the magic lamp comes on and
hey baby
the dance is calling on you
to behave
the dance, baby, is calling your name
and hunger is hanging around all the corners
smiling and snapping its fingers
                                           ---Scott Wannberg

                                                  1/25/03

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