Baby J

My thanks to the Editors of "Off the Cuffs" where this poem was first published. Check it out from soft skull press.

Moby walks down Twain Avenue
Searching for crack from the passing
Dealers
Carrying his 6 month old daughter in his arms
Like a shield against their violence
C'mon man jus' 10 dollars
Even the sharks don?t want to dance with him
His baby shivering in the post dusk chill
Wrapped loosely in a filthy blanket that
Reeks of burnt plastics
His skin is shiny to me
His leprosy showing through in places
Especially his eyes
As I stand him tall in front of my
Ghetto flagship
Red and blue lights bouncing wall to wall
Scaring up the roaches that scuttle endlessly
How the fuck
How the fuck
How the fuck
Can you do that man?
Buy crack with your daughter
In your arms
I imagine Some long lost episode of Twilight Zone
Where its Christmas in Hell and the Zombies shop
With the innocent in tow
Beckoning the shadow demons to
Come close
Come closer
Sell me my need
Don?t mind the little one
She?s just holdin? my soul for me
Back to the moment I'm just so
Amazed
Amazed
As I hold the Fragile Infant
In my arms
And see her look at me lost but not afraid
Knowing in her heart that I am here to save her perhaps
But me knowing that sooner than not she will be back
With her crack smoking
Mommy and Daddy
Wandering the world with them
Buying drugs until they die
Or she escapes
Metamorphosis to a butterfly and just
Sails away in the morning breeze
Leaving glass pipes and needle marks
Tattooed on the ground behind her
In a hovel where the miserable clutch themselves and cry
The clay in me becomes just a little
Harder but I let it crack a little so
Some honey can pour out
Just a drop
Just a drop
Enough to sweeten Heavens tongue in silent prayer
G-d protects drunks and little child-ren so I hope she
Flies I pray she Flies I Swear she'll fly
As I drop her off at the Clark County Child Protective Services
Building

Copyright 2000 Harry Fagel