0-72457 AUXILIARY
Nancy Rubins must be laughing
Her viewers explore and walk around her.
Looks of shock, disgust, and confusion are written on their faces.
Some get close, some do not.
Some talk, some do not.
Is it right? Or is it wrong? They argue.
Is it art? Or is it junk? They continue.
Open mouthed viewers look at Rubins’ detail.
Close up, or far away.
No viewers interfere with other viewers or Rubins.
They stand alone, or they stand with others.
They do not take up your room, or my room.
Some point, some tilt their heads, some read.
The guard wipes his sweat off.
Couples go on.
0-72457 Auxiliary.
Rubins’ old jet.
Rubins’ old crap.
Rubins’ space on the first floor of MOMA.
Rubin is in my room.
I am in Rubins’ room.
Her viewers are in her room.
The guard wipes his sweat off.
No one touches.
No one speaks aloud.
Discussions and arguments can be heard.
I am sure Rubins is laughing.
Rubins has no sweat, just bread.
The guard is hungry; he sweats.
Tourists, students, professionals, observers.
All of them are present, but none interfere.
Quietness.
Dirt in the metal do not make a sound.
I can hear the echo of flight.
No one here is flying.
Only the guard sweats.
We all stand to look.
I am sure we all wonder why we cannot sit.
Why can’t we touch?
Why can’t we talk aloud?
I am sure we obey the rules of the current society.
I am sure we question them.
Rubins’ art questions them.
The guard does not.
New viewers roll in.
New viewers follow the old viewers’ patterns.
The guard is still sweating.
I wish I could meet the “First Officer.”
Does anyone else fly?
Spring 1995
© David Greg Harth 1995
Shoe Thieves
Yes, it is a corporation with business personnel,
A cathedral with levels of hierarchy,
A stadium with players and teams.
Yes it is a government with laws,
A playground with rides,
A human with systems.
Yes it is a world of thieves and burglars who steal your ideas.
But what is most important in this shadowy world?
In this world of quietness, darkness, and expression.
It is not competition,
It is not black clothing,
It is not hair on our skulls bursting with ideas and concepts.
What it is, is shoes.
Shoes, some give a damn, some do not.
But all in all, one picked those for some special reason.
Looks, comfort, support or credibility.
It does not matter, shoes are important.
Shoes tell us where you have been, and where you are going.
They tell us about you, your style and personality.
Black or hot pink.
Leather or plastic.
Clear or opaque.
Laces, buttons, zippers, or buckles.
High heels or flats.
Long or short.
Platforms or glitter infested.
They help the other cannibals in this little world.
To see you and to see through you.
Our world of our own.
Our world of shoes.
© 1995 David Greg Harth
95.03.02.16:34:00@31USQWNYC
Scott
Tough Guy
5 foot, 8 inch Italian
Shot 8 times, stabbed too many
Slick hair
His right eye flickers
from a gunshot wound
The scars point out
entries and exits of bullets
Bulging veins cover his arms
He is off the Thorazine and doesn’t do the scuffle
He is on new medication,
medication that could put 8 horses to sleep
His huge appetite consumes all the hospital food
He brushed his teeth until his gums bled
A rough life
Lost his father at a young age,
supported his mother and sister,
and grew up in a world of drugs
and destroyed his life
A delivery man and a lumberjack,
a seller and a buyer
He cared and understood
He’s changing his life now,
I made him laugh,
and he helped me understand.
He helped me, and I helped him
A stranger, then a friend, and now a memory
He was Guy Scott
I called him Scott
He respects life now and has changed
He was Guy Scott, a friend, a gift from God.
© 1992 David Greg Harth
92.05.03.22:00:00@NewCityNY
How To Survive A Hospital Stay
First of all, do not eat the food
Ignore the doctors
For they are our friends,
but do not trust them.
Think about throwing the little crying children out of the window
And gaze into your surroundings
at the streets below and sky above
Play games, like name as many words that start with the letter “L.”
Lollipops
And laughing lions
Large lamps
or lightning linear lines
While in the bathroom, count the ceramic tiles
Drink all the apple juice
And fill the rubber gloves with water,
Yes now we have RGWB’S, no not a disease,
but a Rubber Glove Water Balloon.
When done with the first lesson,
now turn on the foreign TV station,
and make believe you enjoy the music
Then call another patient’s room and annoy them
After that, of course, move your bed up and down, until it breaks
Then press the button for the nurse,
When she comes, “Oh, sorry, I just wanted to know if it worked.”
Last but not least, sit by the window and look as the scene
The cops nailed another one
The truck delivered it’s bandaids
The Mercedes and Jags, and Lexuses and BMWs all roll in
The people flirting
and the bum drinking
Then you glance up, see your reflection in the glass
and then you realize and say, “Why God, why me?”
© 1992 David Greg Harth
92.05.02.22:00:00@NewCityNY
Fall
Fall means many things to me.
Outside there are lots of things to see.
The changing color of the beautiful leaves
Swaying in the sudden gentle breeze.
The squirrels are gathering their acorns
near and far.
For they know winter is coming like a
shooting star.
© 1985 David Greg Harth
85.10.28.00:00:00@SpringValleyNY