i am standing on the corner with a friend waiting
for something to happen – when it does – as others
arrive with the obvious same expectation, looking
around and at each other, eyes asking, and when
people walk or even drive by you see them staring
into the gathering as if something is going to disturb
or at least cause a faltering, and then i spot a guy
who has joined the growing group and who looks like
charles bukowski, so i go over and ask are you
charles bukowski and he says how can i be bukowski,
he’s been dead for seven years, and he has ambled over
to see if anything is happening so i tell him something
sure looks like it’s going to start soon, and I also tell him
sorry for asking and he replies it is a strange morning
Mike Ferguson
Illustration Nick Victor