Miguel Eichelberger
CONCRETE
she is swingin’ with the concrete
and gathering her moves
the melody is brick and glass
the fever is the blues
she puffs weed on the corner
where the colours all confuse
and the smoke adorns the concrete
like a man who likes to lose
her mood sticks to the pavement
like the gum and stench of rot
and her soreness says it’s over
but her heartbeat knows it’s not
she never was a dancer
not before she found this spot
they might say the concrete’s broken
but her heartbeat says it’s not
on the right street to salvation
she could never keep her feet
that path is slick with hesitations
but the corner is concrete.
WHAT’S A HUMAN TO DO
they don’t let you sleep in temples
beds aren’t kept for the foregone
and though the dead should be examples
they still tell you to move on
rescind for me my trespass
and I’ll sing for you a song
this stone’s as good as any I’ve slept on
the preacher-man—he takes you for a beggar
his little holy book can’t fill this cup
his cursing—you won’t find between its covers
not even if you clean his judgements up
they don’t let you sleep in temples
and you can’t die on the step
so what comes to you in trembles
cannot be forgiven yet
point me to the shelter
and I’ll promise to forget
I still prefer the gods I haven’t met
SHALL WE SPEND TODAY IN HIDING
While I go on thinking the grave-
digging covers my whistle
While I sing for my supper and tap
dance around sinkholes
at my feet
While I wear a tailored suit
for some occasion
and I rehearse lines
for those I conflate
I know I tidied
up the kitchen
I know the roof
is burning by the heat
I know the leaves
are clinging by the smell
I know the ice
was never thick
While I go on quoing
my great big status
While I eat mud
and crows
While I bottle what
I wrung out
the snake
While I while
I know the clocks
are set by the mail
I know the lawns get mowed
and the grass cries out
I know the city starts
moving when I say it does
I know I know
what needs worrying
I know the birds
come to the feeder
Miguel Eichelberger’s work has appeared in literary magazines around the world including Acta Victoriana, Harpur Palate, The Literary Review of Canada, Plainsongs Magazine, Poetry Salzburg, and Existere. His first short story was published in the Rappahannock Review in 2021, and his first screenplay is under option in Ireland.
"Concrete" was origninally published by the Literary Review of Canada
@Eichelbard (Instagram | Threads | Medium)