Order
By Linda Kunhardt
A narrow girl sells purses made of reed.
Dead rabbits hang by feet, their red eyes dull,
while chickens crammed in cages peck their seed.
A vessel in Juan’s brain begins to bleed,
spreading into the fissures of his skull.
A narrow girl sells purses made of reed.
The madams in the district underfeed
hookers they line up for a spectacle
while chickens crammed in cages peck their seed.
A vendor buys his wares, then smokes some weed;
he seldom deems police an obstacle.
A narrow girl sells purses made of reed.
Redeemers tend the poor, avoiding greed
and never gesture for a miracle
while chickens crammed in cages peck their seed.
This is the life they know and that they need,
the common life that no one can annul.
A narrow girl sells purses made of reed
while chickens crammed in cages peck their seed.