with black & swollen fruit on their lips
shopping cart cages & monkey children;

between gods plucked like chickens
 stiff with golden skin;

they lie flat & naked as fruit;
 bruised with alcohol & suprise

americans in the garden of paradise
with coal-fires burning in deep lungs

breathing out the dragon that eat stars
breathing into their canned memories of light

 faceless, numberless in smoke;
& their eternal calculating legions on the march,
                      through relentless american rain