from Darklands (“Meat Counter”)
Damp eraser to the expedition itself.
Is in curious fake car, is under there moaning.
Endure these bastards, he has to, through cartoons.
See my name: don’t you forget about Kinky Leo.
O Lucky Lake, all I have could sue a tight friend.
Her suit in first from here she comes I remember
nouns from where is under there moaning
eventually Lil Token came to noise
deep proton ergo poetry if half
expedition the other half simply go
Right, you okay? Movie time taken away.
Any tin lickings wax to told you yourself.
Lean my self-awareness, but everybody has it.
Put my sis to work for that Nick and his miso cargo.
Echo us acoustic what the breath explains to us.
Nicky ecclesiastic Nicky won a dose
up until she ate it out of two trees
but it’s best living in toe paradise
either out or who this writing smirched
rat tat logo till the scat comes dead and livid
Dead lips either like a token of little Nicky’s hair.
Else it’s rich and poor, shit-talkers continue yapping.
Nor skip Legotown and its nasty cigarette cake.
As in all satanic allegory, nobody scared of honey.
Basking I do, better tossing a bolo clear through yon guard.
Meat Counter
Lin: I quit the vegan life a year ago—
I thought you knew that, Teddy.
Teddy: No. No way.
It doesn’t matter though.
Lin: I didn’t mean—
Teddy: We’re late enough already. I don’t want
To get there after dark, not after what
The old guy said. Let’s get our meat and go.
Ponch: Hang on—you haven’t asked me what I want.
I think I want—I think I—wait for it . . .
Teddy: We’re waiting. . . .
Ponch: I don’t know, ground beef, I guess,
Or chicken, pork, a duck breast, even Spam:
Just not that cigarette cake. That shit’s nasty.
Synth:I don’t think that’s a thing, Ponch. You just dreamed it.
Ponch: Whatever. I don’t like it.
Counter Guy: Thirty-three?
Lin: That’s us! We’re on the way to [muffled sound]
To stay a couple days, and everyone
Says [static] is like heaven in the evening,
So we would like some skewers—chicken, lamb—
To throw on the grill as we watch the sun descend,
And brisket, too, we’ll slowly roast on Sunday.
Counter Guy: Meat is what we’ve got. It’s really good.
Lin: Okay, well, like I said, we want some lamb—
Counter Guy: What we’ve got is meat. No special type.
But once you’ve had it, you’ll be hooked, I promise.
Ponch: No special type? I’m sorry, that’s fucked up.
Like you mix a bunch of animals together?
Counter Guy: No. That’s not it.
Ponch: What is it then?
Counter Guy: It’s meat.
Synth: All of the sudden, I don’t feel so good.
Lin: From the pills?
Synth: No, not the pills. I need some air.
Good, Ina, try to exit, thlipping to the tenth day.
Rough pistons, big enough pistons arc toward death.
Under a dose you tone the living crown.
No exit from acoustic, tittering breath.
Darkly said takes Nick the church on my hurt ankle.
West of the second death we theft a tooth
Each angle teasing through the married graph
Given the word each edge split as in volcano
As in sharp oxy either when the cat took his
Up throne satin cravat is my name
Fuck earnest peace whoever turns the piston.
Lost in an apt March day: O, what I trusted.
Else how might a tan peck die for you, Kon-Tiki.
In all I have a little cat with a key.
Crouton taste. Did Big Bill teach you that?
House taught the black baleen an open scandal
Taut onion ton really my eaten son
Go look at ya golden porn does it seem sexy
Excavate you sick rattan learn up on Nicky’s name
Blurt changed thought pattern either me now go
As I taxed an icky war and all its pomp.
Us tomatoes moo. O have us sounding, breathing.
Eggs talk to seeking lesions: it’s on camera.
Thus shall I give the hidden ones themselves.
Every topsy stone will give, as every cancered letter.
Name does not exist; nor do its multitudes; nor any boundary to its boundlessness.
But on the other hand name becomes in your incandescence a manner of speaking,
Rat of the last desire, Lion-Rat, one of the things that varies not in varying,
Under a thousand guises, sporks, the primary ranks, Standard Conodont Zonation,
Kon-Tiki and the fable of its voyage, that little restaurant with the pancakes
Eaten in cycles of ten and then one hundred, a whispered temperament, a place like
Nicky’s, where we wandered, baby lizards in the Snow Queen’s labyrinth.
Meat Counter
Liz: To tell the truth, I don’t want lots of meat.
I’m thinking that I might go back to vegan…
Freddy: Sure. If you say so, Liz.
Liz: I didn’t mean—
Freddy: We’re late enough already. At this point
We won’t get in till after nine. And don’t forget
What that old timer said. I don’t like it.
Pancho: That old guy was just gabbing. I should know.
At my last job, there was this grizzled gent
Quite like our moony talker. Every night
He’d unspool gloaming minatory threads
Of ancient warning, none of it for real.
For instance—what?
Freddy: I want to go.
Pancho: So let’s.
You order: I’ll be fine with anything,
As long as it’s not rat cake. That shit’s nasty.
Ina: I don’t think that’s a thing, Pancho. You dreamed it.
Pancho: Whatever. I don’t like it.
Counter Guy: Thirty-four?
Liz: That’s us! We’re on the way to [muffled sound]
To stay a week or two, and everyone
Says [static] is horrendous after six.
So could I please have four thick marbled steaks?
We’ll broil them indoors, then play a game.
Counter Guy: Meat is what we’ve got. It’s extra good.
Liz: Okay, well, like I said, we want some beef—
Counter Guy: What we’ve got is meat. No special type.
But once you’ve tasted it, you won’t go back.
Pancho: No special type? I’m sorry, that’s insane.
As if you cooked it up in your own lab?
Counter Guy: No. That’s not it.
Pancho: What is it then?
Counter Guy: It’s meat.
Ina: All of the sudden, I don’t feel so good.
Liz: From the drugs?
Ina: No, not the drugs. I need some air.
Counter Guy: Why don’t you come back here, miss? You’ll feel better.
all of the
love all of the
text all of the
best things
all of the sudden
all of the
time all of the
money all of the
markets
all of the sudden all of the sudden
you’re racing all of the sudden you’re in it
all of the sudden a wedding all of the sudden your phone dies
all of the sudden all of the sudden
quite dizzy all of the sudden I’m skidding
all of a
feeling all of a
planet all of a
person all of a
sudden all of a
story all of a
timeslice all of a
package all of a
sudden all of the sudden
all of a sudden
all of the sudden
he comes back and
all of a sudden the stinkeye then all of the sudden my fan base
or then all of a sudden I feel faint except
all of a sudden with no build up all of the sudden a crazy man
who all of a sudden was all alone
then all of the sudden
the phone rings
and it’s Kinky Leo
it’s your mom it’s Ponch
and I say, hey Ponch
and all of a sudden I’m supposed to just stay quiet the sort of thing
that happens all of the sudden the sort of person
who shows up
all of a sudden a flash of light all of the sudden I’m in the shower all of the sudden my roommate all of the sudden I get sleepy all of a sudden it’s full on demon mode or all of the sudden out of the blue a van pulls in the driveway then out of the blue all of a sudden you’re in a noisy scary place and all of the sudden it’s garbage or all of a sudden you wake up in Australia and out of the blue to see something that disturbing or all of a sudden it’s raining but then all of the sudden slips into the hand of the destroyer didn’t just happen out of the blue didn’t happen all of a sudden except all of a sudden she shows up and then out of the blue he said all of the sudden they text me out of the blue I didn’t even know all of the sudden all of the sounds all of a sudden all of the people all of a dream all part of a dream all of the sudden all part of a memory all of a sudden all of a language all part of the language all of the picture all part of the picture all of the puzzle all part of the same puzzle all of a journey all part of a journey all of a plan all part of the same plan all of a process all part of the process all of the group all part of the group all of my family all part of my family all of a moment all part of the moment all of a culture all part of a culture all of the world all part of the world all of a plan all part of a plan
and then all of the sudden
all of a sudden we’re back to the beginning and the phone rings and it’s Nicky
