CHUNKS AND SLICES

black black birds
again and again
black birds of sin assail my senses
black birds of sin
seven, seven, seven
when she was seven her father beat her
for failing first grade math
now she is an accountant
fourteen, fourteen
for teen, teen
fourteen teenage runaways and their pimp
pimp, pimples, acne, knock-kneed, ask me
she said don't ask me, I don't want to talk about heroin
change the subject
change, change
spare change
spare my life
black birds haunting
returning to the scene of the crime
she needed the money
she thought no one would find out
no one would see it
she thought if she had another line
another line
another line
another line of work
coloring between the lines
standing in lines
standing
he was standing outside the shower
she had nowhere to go
it wasn't over quick enough
it's never over quick enough
it's never over
over, over, over here
she said come over here
I want to tell you something
sell you something
ever heard of blackbird pie?

- Marvin Scott Marvin, 1994