District of Columbia

District of Columbia

- Benjamin Walker -

I applaud

the Navy snipers on the rooftops--

men standing guard

with automatic weapons

on unlit Metro cars

and circling the House of Saud

while the neckties on K Street

and the brass buttons in the Pentagon

outgun everyone

I honor the Congressmen

who get the last word

without listening to ours--

they say don't hand out clean needles

then slip away at night

hugging their comforters in cool Virginia

I sing praises

for the 5-0

who understand

why we left our IDs at home--

who patrol Spring Valley

and the National Cathedral

at 3AM--

who sleep

parked

on Nebraska and Constitution

while a Balkan melee rages

across the Anacostia river

I offer a toast

to the CVS guy who locked up

all the condoms in the Navy Yard

and through the lower wards--

as if this swamp isn't muggy enough

In this city--

as long as it remains--

men on the street

come up to me cold

as I leave theaters

right out of Chinatown--

one takes my offered cigarette

but refuses my dollar

then says

I like you though,

See?

You look me right

In the eyes

It's fine, everything is fine. Just fine. Fine.

I measure my time in Captain Bananio development stages. I hope I get to be his best friend for all of time.

Assignment 1A

I've got a hell of a lot more of this to do.

Also, I got an awesome sunburn that day where my convertible tights stopped, and so I have a line where my skin is slightly more red. It's like the reverse of a sock tan. only it's burn. and right above that on my left leg I have bruises from hopping concrete barriers at the Tidal Basin.

It's clear that this blog is now only about injuries to my lower extremities. It must be spring.