the mandarin’s skin
(for steve cannon)
Steve Dalachinsky NYC 7/7/19
a back rub
a thanks for coming
a story of relationships
thirst
that only I.V.s description
& friendship can convey >
the SUN is a mandarin ORANGE
tonight / covered by clouds
we peel the skin back & there
it is in jagged lines
the blind man’s mouth
opens wide to receive the taste
his eyes remember
it’s too early for a poem
it’s never too early for a poem
it’s too late for a poem
it’s never too late for a poem
“READ THE POEM” – the blind man
says harshly hoarsely
with a brutish love for the POEM
there is no poem – then be the poem
i think he must be thinking
as i wish for clemency for the
Mandarin
the blind GUY remembers everything
from his childhood
from yesterday
from tomorrow
the texture of paint as he touches
the canvas
he remembers the colors
remembers the image
from before he was able to touch it
hears the music in it
hears the music in everything
he is unrefined
yet sophisticated
educated lavish gruff honest
has taste – like right now for this
mandarin orange of a SUN
as we pull back its skin
he can sting you with his truth
embrace you with his humility
he can spin you never ending stories
BEEN THERE DONE THAT – this happened
WHEN – didn’t you know that guy too?
sorry i was barely born yet
HEARD IT ALL SEEN IT ALL
the blind man peels back the skin of history
reveals the gathering forming about its edges
the bitterness of the rind
the sweetness at times dullness
of those sometimes not-so-juicy slices /
the stringy mess that often gets in the way
the parts & their WHOLE
the beauty or futility a poem
can produce / READ THE POEM
there is no poem then be the poem
as you describe the tops
of trees to him
his thumb parts his lips &
rests on his upper right teeth
his eyes close & he is poised for
listening & he listens deeper
ever deeper to the music that
the peeling creates
he knows from years of
experience how exotic & chaotic
the afterglow can be
he pushes the upper lip up a bit more
smiling a quiet naïve AHHHHHH
of a smile a child’s smile a wise man’s smile
a wise guy’s smile
as he peels away the layers to get at the JUICE.