H e a r t S o n s & H e a r t D a u g h t e r s of A l l e n G i n s b e r g

N a p a l m H e a l t h S p a : R e p o r t 2 0 1 4 : A r c h i v e s E d i t i o n

WANDA COLEMAN

Night Coffee (6)

in the distance

someone plays My Funny Valentine one note at a time

an espresso barista’s coup

there is no finer brew

to share when love is new

when i take my black wine blue

we have no credit card

driving up and down boulevards at 2 a.m.

we try to get a room

our clothes are out of date. we have no luggage

there’s darkness in the light

when ravens burst into flight

while my lover holds me tight

over black wine blued just right

the line outside the

pawn shop is a block long in the desert heat

prostitutes work the neighborhood

monitored by teen-aged pimps

the dream at dawn goes red

when hungover or underfed

romantics play like lead

till the fresh-blued hits my head

good dressing disguises

the garbage smell of sour onion and decaying lettuce

thru cheap sheet rock

the rush of hot water, the shower head singing

i take my black wine blue

can’t make it sweet as you

there’s nuthin’ cream can do

when i make my black wine blue

in the distance a noodling. My Funny Valentine.

one note at a time

[Originally published in NHS 2011, http://www.poetspath.com/napalm/nhs11/.]