The Window
Lived with his mother,
She often not at home;
Had stereo
And upstairs window facing the alley,
Target for pebbles pecking greeting,
"Rouse yourself,
We come in search of company"
-- Or perhaps a place to play --
A mix of males already seeking
Dead-end jobs
And college boys in mid-escape
From the rusting glass plants and
machine shops.
"We have beer.
We'll buy pizza.
What music is playing?
How can we pretend tonight
To support the non-existent revolution?
What books did you read?"
And I discovered Dostoyevski
While guzzling beer with future
engineers
And kids who barely finished high
school
In the apartment of a near-genius
Capable of neither work nor school.
11-19-99
