today i upended the homes of a million crickets

it was a very autumnal day

as I

in a vest as vibrant as the changing leaves
raked and swept broken glass
and East Side dust
from viaucts
near the tank on 100th and J

into a pile
the kind my dad would have e jump into
if he was a complete
sadist

home to the
whitest thing I'd ever
in a van with
a tough ass
old school
moustachioed
South Side cop
(already white)

listening to the smooth jazz station
WNUA
's
eight o'clock
commercial free
ease your way int the workday
breakfast
culminating in the song
Oh I'd Love, Love, Love, Love, Love...to Dance with My Father Again"


i firmly believe that Cat Stevens would beat this guy to death with the Koran

i mean it was white
-how white is it?-
squinting wonderbread white

--
also
--

one of the blacker things i've seen in a while

in a van
this cat
marked with a vest meant to tell the whole world
"Im gonna be claning up shit today"
and panther tattoos
meant to tel the world
"Yes, you're right...I AM black"
leaning out the window
tryin to holler at a girl comin out
the Dunkin Donuts
Officer Comiskey had run into

"hey baby, I get outta swap at 3:30"

the whole time his cell phone goin off

and here I am frettin that there's dirt in my mouth still

I hope you all learned somethin about viaducts today

the officer said as we drove back up north

there are over 1700 viaducts in the city of chicago
and this job's far from done