Where Do They All Come From
Donnie Cox
“Then this morning I went to the bookstore and bought The Catcher in the Rye. I’m sure the large part of me is Holden Caulfield, who is the main person in the book. The small part of me must be the Devil.”
- Mark David Chapman
He lies, face-up, on the floor
of a hotel room he can’t afford.
His eyes are closed. On his chest,
a closed paperback moves slowly up&down - marking time.
The plan is clear.
Everything he wants to say,
reduced to a
single blinding point.
A warning message to false prophets.
A Technicolor caution sign
to purveyors of empty noise,
& meaningless bullshit.
A .38 special delivery
from a real nowhere man,
to the used-up hero
who haunts Dakota halls,
& hides behind elegant walls,
that cannot save him.
Lost to himself, hopelessly slipping
into some half-assed parody...
He opens his eyes&checks his watch.
Almost time to rock&roll,
lock&load,
cross the street,&disappear
into the faceless
New York hum -
“All the lonely people,
where do they all come from?”
Copyright © 2004 D.B. COX. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
