Photo by The Cleveland Museum of Art on Unsplash

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Blood Flowers, 2003

          –after Richard Hambleton (1952-2017)

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Red petal blooms

pining for the honeybee

succumb to their thorns

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Marlboro Man, 1983

          –after Richard Hambleton (1952-2017)

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Marlboro Man grave

dances, counting his coins. True

Americana.

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Shooting Gallery

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Ten pretty Shadowmen—all in a row—

poised n preened ‘gainst a Superwhite sky,

grazin’ on gawks n dollars n red dot nibbles

n Franzia blush fizzes in rented crystal cups.

See how they duck

see how they cover

to the coolsexy superfly acid jazz groove—

out of sight, man

out of mind

out of time—

b’yond eyelines of the madding hungry

hunter pride

Wallets n checkbooks—locked-n-loaded—

holdin’ fast n ready,

beggin’ for release,

firin’

hard cash injections

tiny dick pr oj e  c  t  i   o  n   s

through the din of a museless

clueless neon frenzy:

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“Oh, the philosophy!”

“Oooo, the subtext!”

“My, won’t my coke dealer be green!”

“Bagged me a big one!”

“Whacha think the resale is?”

“Who’s the artist’s again?

“R—something…I think?”

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Ten pretty shadow heads

all on their own

hung ‘gainst the rub

of their ‘xposed-brick skies

dodgin’ dust

deflectin’ envy

waxin’ nostalgic

jonesin’ heavy

for the solace

of their lost

once upon a times

back to the days

before

the bougie oozie hype

after-hour come-ons

(Cum up n have a look)

and the mother fuckin’

tedium

of those C-Suite

braggadocios.

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Cat Stack, 2006

          –after Richard Hambleton (1952-2017)

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Shadow Cat watches

you turn a page and pisses

on the next chapter

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mr. reeee

     –for Richard

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Beautiful mind—

mired in shadow—

spouting

nocturnal philosophies

‘gainst walls

n canvas

n alleyway dumpsters

in splashes

o’ want

n venous sprays

of abstract topography.

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Genius

in a storage room—

Shadow Cat’s

fool—

warms

his hands

o’er a Sterno can…or two

readying

his fingers

for another

masterpiece

to barter for crumbs

n paint

n fixes

o’ hood rats’ baggies

o’ cheese.

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Art world deviant—

vandal o’ the streets—

hapless

hopeless

demon slave—

the only

crime

you committed

was not

giving up

the

ghost

$oon enough.

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“I Only Have Eyes for You” NYC, 1980

          –after Richard Hambleton (1952-2017)

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two-dimension

ego projection—

a monochrome

manic reflection—

sentinels

tos n fros

of alley cats

n passers-by—

never speaking

constantly tweaking

in the thrall

of wide-eyed

opiate

scrutiny.

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Piercing gazes

lonely faces

catch

the eye

with

soul-fath’ming

artistry

pulling ‘em in

drawing ‘em close

into silent lulls

of concrete

soliloquy.

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Day in

day out

standing

waiting

watching

thinking

unblinking through

the acid rain

images

fade

into brick n mortar

an’ shadows

of piss-puddled alleyways.

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Connection sought

Connection lost

void

is all

that remains

as I retrace my steps

for a chat

an’ a smoke

only

to find

a ghost

ling’ring ’round

our fav’rite sticking place.

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Shadow Cat, 2004 II

          –after Richard Hambleton (1952-2017)

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Nancy says, “Just say no”

With a Shadow Cat black tail

flick he purrs, “Kiss my ass!”

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Gang of Four, 2005

              –after Richard Hambleton (1952-2017)

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A gang o’ four

peeks through

my windows—horsemen

look’n for

signs

o’ the apocalypse

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Blood Flowers, 2003 II

          –after Richard Hambleton (1952-2017)

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Fatal blossoms in

the poison garden thirsty

for your red swirl nectar

languor pressed beneath

the looking glass playing their

shady peek-a-boo games

reaching for heaven

down in the dirt off’ring

drowsy kiss promises

for the sugar sweet

transubstantiation

of a quick blood honey sting

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Mr. Invisible

             –after Richard Hambleton (1952-2017)

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Lurker

in shadow—

paintbrush

brandished

like a blade—

carve your

midnight mantras

‘cross sidewalks

an’ storefront

facades

in murder scene

fakeries—

your negative space

finery

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After the

OOOHS

and the

AAAHS

and feigned clutching

of pearls

I ask, “Why

the anonymous

genius?”

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With a paint-stained

hand, giving

his nose

a swipe

he says, “It’s all

just

illusion

in the end.”

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Shadow (The End of), 2005

          –after Richard Hambleton (1952-2017)

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A beautiful mind.

Pounds of flesh

spent.

Fade away

now

into the light.

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