WEBVTT

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These are all poems from
this new book that is--

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I have one copy of it, but
it should be out next week,

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called World Tree.

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And if you want to get
a copy of the book,

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it's got 25 illustrations of
Neolithic art, and you know,

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Clovis spear points, and
anonymous 19th century

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photographs.

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So it's a book with pictures.

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So it'll be much
easier to take down.

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This poem is called
"Ode to Black 6".

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Black 6 is the most successful
subspecies of laboratory rat.

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Every human disease that we
could ever conceive of getting,

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was first introduced
into black six.

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And nobody spoken for him much.

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So "Ode to Black 6"

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"To your veins we've clogged
with butter we give thanks.

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To your brain tumor withering
the use of your left side,

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to Alzheimer's befuddling your
stumble through the labyrinth,

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indifferent now to
females and estrous,

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to positive
reinforcement, merci.

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For cystic fibrosis, ALS, mad
cow, for rickets, diabetes,

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dengue fever, our gratitude.

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The 35 gauge needles into the
loose fur bristling your neck

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have worked their contagion
ceaselessly since 1921.

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A hundred generations,
Oh, my brethren

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and all your lives you
train, prepare, endure.

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The gerrymandered cataracts
cannot stall your progress

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through the windings
of the maze,

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Milton flying blind
toward Calvin's God.

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Push the lever, eat and
retrace your sightless scurry.

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Week upon week upon the
marathon dance floor,

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we command you to foxtrot and
the winning couple staggers

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towards their crumb of cheddar.

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Death is a master from
Livermore Lab, the NIH.

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Your golden fur Josefina,
your ashen fur Stuart Little.

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Pipsqueak Terminator
from the sequel versions,

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engineered to save our
wayward , species any cost.

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You pass through the
refining fires, fur singed,

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manic prehensile tail broken.

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Push the lever.

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Push the lever, nothing
given, yet you push and push.

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Your photo glowers up
from National Geographic.

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Upright you stand in
the maze's corner,

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front paws curled pugilistic,
one of Velasquez's palace

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dwarfs, leashed and collared
in lace, that staring us down.

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No pasaran.

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Don't Tread on me.

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Snatch me bastard by the
neck and tail and fuck

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with me all that you want.

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I serve you at my whim."

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