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The character of a child
lost -- subway at night
The character of a child
lost, verboten, lacking
It was
nine o'clock at night
Urine, decayed figure, engines
Litter, gum, spit
I was holding my mother's hand
two figures pasted on the wall
down the barricade
we radiated flour and water
I looked to the side
saw a scarlet light
two blocks down
studied the shoes
as I was once told never to look anyone in the
eye that I did not know,
I would spend the rest of my life staring at shoes
A conscious gaze, a conscious gait
so as to be left alone
in the dirt of the world I passed in
the lady became listless
and I heard laughter
To this day I am suspicious of laughter
My father stood before me
And I did not know it
He stared at me, so naturally I
looked away
I was well-versed in these things
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