Cabfare for the Common Man

Cabfare for the Common Man

19990221.2345

Heels click on pavement
Perfectly in step with the
Chaotic rhythm of the drum
Of the ultimate zombi-master

This is the parade in which
You have chosen to participate
Having handed over your soul
(But you claim it was taken)
So that you don't have to care
About where you go
And how you get there

Just as long as you are not alone on the trip

Thanks to you, this is the
Fanfare for the common man:

Cars, trucks, and buses honk
Like dogs barking at one another
Trying to claim bad-assitude
Regardless of the outcroppings
Of four-foot chainlink fence
Or as the case may be
Medians and curbs;

Car alarms serenade one another
In the dark, lonely for attention
Mindless vehicles startled by
Assertive squirrels;

Sirens (but not the lovely kind)
Wail -- and instead of attracting
You to them, they come for
You

How do I tell you that you were screwed
(But not the lovely way)
On this soul-selling bargain?
Nothing was taken from you.

All you have to do
To get out of the parade
Is turn left, or right, or whatever.
Turn up, if you can.

I have forty-three dollars
In my wallet
You can have it for cabfare
If you need it

First-come, first serve

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