A bird was on the wire, so alone
that he stood out against the brick
and the wire was drooping
from his weight
and the designs on the brick behind him
looked like ancient ruins
and suddenly he dive bombed
to the electric box on the side of an adjacent building
and by that time a low rider was coming down the alley
The Mission Christo church stood on the corner
with its neon and its call to hug the world
the other church nearby
is made of redder brick
and has taller towers
but I am not sure how
Jesus competes
with the neon.
I used to say I liked to save souls and time travel
I thought I was funny, maybe clever
and someone once told me that
something is bad for my soul
as if it was bad chocolate or something
and I am not so sure anyone else
can inform me
about my soul
At any rate, looking out over the lake
with its clear blue
I think I see religion for what it is
I think I see the gypsies dancing
around a fire
I think I burned my hand
If there was a small bird
living in my heart
like a sparrow
it would explain
why it feels like the wires
are pushing down
my arteries
and sinews
stretched underneath
his tiny weight