macho sam and his tattoos
i like playing hopscotch
i like to cross the street on red
i’ve got a tiger tattooed on my chest
and a sheep on my left shoulder
sometimes i forget my woman in the drawer
sometimes i lick the ink off the dinner plates
i love myself for a few minutes
what do you expect i’m sam
sweet sam
macho sam
let the little children come to me
from the orient the mongols come
from the occident an angel comes
he bites my hand
asks me to check the hen for an egg
i happen upon a hole
a small smashed red currant
sticks to my fingers
like a piece of chewing gum
.
sam and the apparition
last night in my sleep
i got scratched by the mother-of-pearl nails
planted on the shores of the nile
i had taken off my clothes
and was ready to swim
and then the apparition showed itself
a felt hat
low over its eyes
and apologized
i was thirty-three years old
and the rat was nursing its pups
i hiccupped from time to time
i was afraid i might disturb it
minodora didn’t hear me
nor istovitu
benedict sang deafeningly
in a franciscan chapel
my clothes on the shore hatched maggots
they were so cute
i loved them like my grandchildren
i was merciful and poor
i knew i was destined to die in italy
