These are all poems from this new book that is--
I have one copy of it, but it should be out next week,
called World Tree.
And if you want to get a copy of the book,
it's got 25 illustrations of Neolithic art, and you know,
Clovis spear points, and anonymous 19th century
photographs.
So it's a book with pictures.
So it'll be much easier to take down.
This poem is called "Ode to Black 6".
Black 6 is the most successful subspecies of laboratory rat.
Every human disease that we could ever conceive of getting,
was first introduced into black six.
And nobody spoken for him much.
So "Ode to Black 6"
"To your veins we've clogged with butter we give thanks.
To your brain tumor withering the use of your left side,
to Alzheimer's befuddling your stumble through the labyrinth,
indifferent now to females and estrous,
to positive reinforcement, merci.
For cystic fibrosis, ALS, mad cow, for rickets, diabetes,
dengue fever, our gratitude.
The 35 gauge needles into the loose fur bristling your neck
have worked their contagion ceaselessly since 1921.
A hundred generations, Oh, my brethren
and all your lives you train, prepare, endure.
The gerrymandered cataracts cannot stall your progress
through the windings of the maze,
Milton flying blind toward Calvin's God.
Push the lever, eat and retrace your sightless scurry.
Week upon week upon the marathon dance floor,
we command you to foxtrot and the winning couple staggers
towards their crumb of cheddar.
Death is a master from Livermore Lab, the NIH.
Your golden fur Josefina, your ashen fur Stuart Little.
Pipsqueak Terminator from the sequel versions,
engineered to save our wayward , species any cost.
You pass through the refining fires, fur singed,
manic prehensile tail broken.
Push the lever.
Push the lever, nothing given, yet you push and push.
Your photo glowers up from National Geographic.
Upright you stand in the maze's corner,
front paws curled pugilistic, one of Velasquez's palace
dwarfs, leashed and collared in lace, that staring us down.
No pasaran.
Don't Tread on me.
Snatch me bastard by the neck and tail and fuck
with me all that you want.
I serve you at my whim."