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Cover:
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Boxed Up
A slice of paradise
up in the high rises.
Up where the apartment gardens
reach over protective barriers
splitting the sturdy balcony
from the loose city streets
sunk down a few floors
below the sun and sky.
Limbs stretch out
to the sounds of horns
screaming over one another
in crammed mid-day traffic.
The greens absorb each morsel
of so-called “fresh air”,
gambling each breath on smog
like second-hand smoke.
Each cling to their pots
too afraid to branch out.
Just sticking to the small
cups of moist soil
floating above the earth.
Landmarks With Laces
High flyers
dancing overhead
tied and tossed
up to the telephone wires.
Thrashed, torn, and stained
with a hole in its sole.
An image equivalent to
scribbling names with paint pens.
Capitalized
Crusty bolts
thrust in
orange steel
like brail
to taggers
running
pens across
the black
old payphones
Leaving
a message.
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Below It All
Waves of energy draining heat
invade the spaces
sending pedestrians flying
to the hidden city pockets
where cool blocks of shadows
between translucent buildings
like a child’s messy playroom floor.
The unlucky wither
under the solar beams
praying for cloud coverage
as a flushed feeling
swarms their body,
sizzling their face
until all features roll away
leaving a slunk husk
depleted and melted.
Bulletins
Big ads
above
with slogans
subconsciously
infiltrating, are
dismantled
by vandals,
outlaws
of art
protecting
the city
from
outside influence.
Circle Stories
Cigarettes dancing in mumbling lips
cracking both pallets and jokes
each for the fire at center
for the silent interrupters
whose voices continue to rise
as each beer goes down.
*
Chuck Harp © 2021
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Chuck Harp is a writer and winner of the Mad Cave Studios Talent Hunt. He released two poetry collections with Unsolicited Press, What Must Go On and Working Title. In 2021 Chuck released a poetry spoken word/music EP under the name, Katcheen Tongues.