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Absalom's Hair (New York Sidewalk) —page 5
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and they were drench3sz in driewd skins
and it soaked into them
and the old ones theur parenrts whom i knew as old suits
they grew wet and got FAAT and began to swellup
like pod pumpkins hanginfg off of the tree
AND THE BBAY THE CHILD TOLD ME YUOU
CUT THEM DOWN
THEY AERE RIPE NOW
AND REDDY TO RUMBEL
and i cutt like banasas
a good job and i cutthem
doiwn
and they felll and dropped on the earth
this fine old earth they had tiurend so gray and harrd
wel they hit an broke wide open
big fat old melons landing on
the ground and spilling their guts
but what a dancing surprise
what a singning time
what a great birthday party
those raisisns turned into grapes
with magic seeds insidie
for the baby told us all
fthat each meolon fallking
was a dream
each a dream thathad been hidden
driedup
isnide those old suoits thsoe opld ones
and so each became their own favrit dream that they had hidden
so long
but onse they realluy reqlly
really did want
so one hit and burst open dsharp;ly and out came a train a steam train and one came out a dancer
ballerina and another came as a swan and one wirth beautiful hair and many with ball bats and
hats \znd some as new children and one as a cook with a hat and a farmer browjn was one girl and
many singers and so0me fell asguitars to play and some fell in whole groups with music theyir
first thought and skaters oin ice andon wheels and skiing and climbing and some fell as sailboats
and some as sailors some diggers with hats for the old monuments in the desert snd builfders with
sharp eyes to make places and men with hats to plant more trees amd some fell as
sunlight and moonbeams and a thousand eagles and airplanes many trees redwood and elm and
oak and apple now rooting thrupugthe pavements benath the big tree
and when they started falling as sindoaurs
oh my
the kids in the treetops cheerted
SO LOUD
and i laughed and cried
as the old oens
got reborn
as new dreams
and new children and
they peopled the earth
my finbe old erth
wiuth new dreams and old
AND FROM EVRY TEAM
and the babes mum
she steeppd out of the tree
she was the mother and
she came over to me and she
she hugged me and held me while o i
i laughed and cried
it was mixed up that day
thate day of many
of many of everything and
she held me and i
iWAS NOT ALONE
and the childe that choild
it looked at me and smiled and gave mne
a wink again a wink
and then it knocked loose one last big old dried fruit
that hit tha sidewalk nearly onto myhead
and splat it hit and something
enormous splurreted out
and it was all hair
long hair
and a tail that wsa swigning
and a trunk too
and
ivory tuskls so beautiful
and the mmammoth eelephannt
lifted me up
for a swing
WOOLLLY
*
which is where i am sitting now and writing this
and the kids they are helpjg me a lot
tiwth this new writing the story
so to hurry me uyp and we can all go for a walkj
on wooly
because they want to seethis earth
that is so big
and shas so muc h thuat is so big
andso small and
all thje colrorrs
and very old
and now new
this is PAGE FIVE (last)
Quinn MacKeen is a writer living in Nova Scotia
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