A Mountain City of Toad Splendor
Livepoem of “Damn Pigeon for Company”
by R. M. O’Brien
Plush, what a word to start a poem w/
cozy—smacks of luxury—decadence
but cheap too—a plush toy—polysemig
from the start—like John Milton’s Paradise Lost—
which opens like, “Of man’s first disobedience & the fruit”—& you think
fruit like the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge
& like Jesus is the fruit of Mary’s womb
like in the Hail Mary—but it took Milton a whole line
First line in entirety is Plush facial covering
clinical & generig—marketing speak
Then made of cheese—more self-canceling
This is something Rupert would like, I think
I bet he does like this
makes mama smile every—Okay
I know the next line has to start w/ time
but for a moment I get to imagine that smile
is a transitive verb like makes mama smile every
duck—makes mama smile every Tilda-Swinton-in-a-box
time the whistle calls / her back to the alley of /
prohibitive excellence.—dut-dut-du-duh
Lemon ohms make almonds—good juicy line
whether you pronounce almonds “ahmonds” or “alllllmonds”
Out sock—like Lady Macbeth but instead of
washing her hands she’s obsessively taking off
her socks—but she thinks she’s still wearing them
one sock each / lock tack time—okay
like a serious future / in tall socket majors—uh huh
here we go—wake the pilot / wake the plunderer /
wake the pallbearer / me when it’s over
Urgency works whenever—however we get there
& the pilot, the plunderer, & the pallbearer
are a good like a complete totality—
like Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva
Here’s how it ends—Get us up in there so some day /
when time begins / our owls will suddenly know /
what to say again if we / could only grow avocado
if only don’t be so polite / it’s killing me
wake
