Two pieces by Cameron Rachal, Shreveport

Jessie Pitts' bronze of Leadbelly, Shreveport, originally uploaded by trudeau.

the American worker

(I can see the city's inner workings today, grinding to the beat of death.)

So John's a roofer now,
but he's got no supplies.
He lives with his friend in a broken down crack house.
And his friend's girlfriend just so happens to be 4 months pregnant as well.

(I can see the city's inner workings today, grinding to the beat of death.)

He is such a great guy while he becomes a roofer with no supplies.
He works all day to meet his demise and staring me up with cocaine eyes,
John holds a vision of death with a smile.
And now he's a roofer,
but he's got no supplies.

(I can see the cities' inner workings grinding to the beat of death.)

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

the absurd

You know
one of these days
Dog will venture forth from his home of
ragged cloth
in search of God and The Great Shifting Plains above
and out beyond the pasture
of broken tile and bent grass
and fallen stars
he will find what he was looking for
where the fences converge
and the ground sinks with used coal
there is Oranglepurple on the horizon
Dog
and among the green dryness
that was your Jungle
you find what you were looking for
The birds will stop chirping
the waters will freeze mid-splash
cars will halt crashing
and Sisyphus will pause and smile towards you
Dog
and The Face of that Orangepurple Place
will gaze
while you mold the crushed coal
beneath you
and take your secondtolast breath
thinking
not about what is outside of these walls
but rather
"How should I lie down?"

Rachel Hill, Leadbelly Society

Rachel Hill, Leadbelly Society, originally uploaded by trudeau.

Reading in downtown Shreveport in April, 06, by society founder rachel Hill. What was she reading? Hm.

Maybe she'll send a copy of that piece. Eh.