<B>David Barnett</B>
David Barnett was part of the seminal North Beach poetry scene in
the early 60's. His collections include: Agglomerations, 1961 (Antelope
Press, Santa Fe), Vagrant, 1985 (Bread & Butter Press, Denver) and
Plainsong, also Bread & Butter Press. "Two Men with No Feet" was written
in 1992 a few months before David's death.
This is part of a longer piece of work.
Greetings
I push the chrome rail on the door, dimly noticing
The etched glass oval in it. The bar is called "The Retreat."
I went in to be cool, and found
A few garrulous retirees who bought me drinks.
Fearing the heat, I stayed much longer than I'd meant to.
One hundred twelve degrees in Sacramento, humidity
Ninety-six percent. I walk into the street,
Past the lush barbered parks and quasi-regal edifices
Of the State Capitol of California, not going anywhere,
Just lonesome and irksome in the drenching heat.
My shirt sticks to my whole back. Sweat scuttles down my legs.
In my shoes, my feet are wet with sweat.
Three or four blocks from the visible might of the state
The neighborhood is shabby, poor.
Houses and sidewalks alike bulge and crack.
I notice a driveway, sloping upward to a garage door.
Parked at the top is a man in a wheelchair.
He is asleep, or passed out, in the sun.
His head droops sideways. The stumps of his thighs
Protrude from his shorts. They are raw with sunburn.
His left hand holds a bottle in his lap.
His face is the color of a dusty grape, or a new scar.
His hair, whiskers, and clothing
All look like they might have been used to swab a dirty floor.
I look at him for what seems a long time.
I touch a car. It is too hot to touch.
I look at him some more. Can I help him? No.
I imagine him, some forty-five years ago,
Opening a letter:
Greetings from the President of the United States.
David Barnett