Monday, March 26, 2018

Peter Carlaftes - OCCUPY AUDIENCE


Peter Carlaftes offers a poetic voice filled with drop-dead humor, searing insight, and resilient originality –while resonating with overtones of Bukowski, Baudelaire and Vonnegut. He lives in New York City.


***
OCCUPY AUDIENCE

the scruffy young man
sitting
top of the circle
stands up
and shouts
We Won!
We Won!
The System Gave In!
as the others in the circle
start repeating
while rising
We Won!
We Won!
The System Gave In!

then everyone turns
to the right of the circle
repeating their mantra
We Won!
We Won!

and a sullen young man
with his back to the crowd
reluctantly turns
slowly
raising his head
as the circle spreads
out
creating space
for his presence

so the no longer sullen
now smiling
young man
crosses
quickly
joining hands
between two others
in his place
and the frizzy-haired
young woman
shouts
Sol-i-dar-i-ty

others
raising hands
repeat her cry
Sol-i-dar-i-ty

then all exult
We Changed
the World

they start to dance

the curtain shuts

the audience
heartily applauds

the house lights
rise sharply

in the front row
of the mezzanine
the light-skinned girl
tells her companion
They Really
Changed the World!

the dark-skinned girl
sighs
Amazing!

they rise
and head
toward the exit
with others

the light-skinned
girl asks
What Sector
are You In?

I'm
studying
Well Being
the dark-skinned
girl tells her


the light-skinned
girl sighs
I wish our
cubicles
were closer
together

Me, Too!
agrees
the dark-skinned
girl
Maybe
We
Could Transfer?

Yeah!
Just
How Cool
Would That Be?

they both
raise their arms
and clench
their hands
breeding
Sol-idar-i-ty

whereby:
availing
past
while
providing for
our future

The System
Will Always

Give In