390

390

MAX ROACH : Garvey's Ghost

A dream in winter

That the coal plant slid

Into the copper water

And the stacks shuddered

Down in their skins,

And the smoke a body

In the air shimmered and fell to the bed,

And smoke and smoke a cigarette

With a banana daiquiri

In the other hand, at the big window

Of the ambassador's house

With his wife strung out in lights

Touching you on the arm—

Sha sha badum.

It only 's a collapse

When the crimson of one's real blood

Falls from gashed harm.

Ach! Diplomatic failure at the bar.

Mein Herr and I halted

Our weary parlance &tc. The waiter

Made me a solemn request.

I went round behind and helped him

With trays of seafood

He was taking from a walk-in fridge.

Clarissa in her little dress fell backward

Into the tub with the ice

And bottles of champagne. Her forehead

Struck the brass bathtap,

And on the way back to our Benz, her

Cheekstain began to turn

The colours of a growing storm.

In our place the rain came,

The rain and all the factory went down

Into the water, blew up

In shapes of foam of caramel and brown.