Behind the State Capitol

Behind the State Capitol
—for John Wieners
__________________

“The specter of too
much possibility / not
enough necessity”
—Barrett Watten
“Method and
L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E
after Surrealism,”
In the American Tree

One night cruising—
Beneath the bent shaft
Of the State Capitol

I felt a surreal rush—
A delta deluge of
Delirious déja vu

The tall sleek—
Bent erect art deco
Skyscraper so lewd

Bending curving—
Vladimir Tatlin’s tower
To the 3rd International

A sweeping helix—
Stylish Tectonica idol
Of Futurist Faktura

Looming upward—
Like some decadent
Tower of Babel

Tatlin’s tower—
Bending skyward
Like the Eiffel Tower

Arc de Triomphe—
“The Marseillaise”
Its forbidden pubes