could you do a poem once over there

ROB: I could
I could take a minute or two
I could hope for some music, not too far away
I could take your hand
I could take you home
I could take a picture
a day off, a class on re-organizing
a shower and sing a song I only kinda know the chorus to
I could take more time to stretch
I could take you
I could take you
I could take you all
take you to my favorite wine bar, speakeasy disco, underground teashop
I could take a seat
I could take less fear mongering
a world with fewer insults
I could take deeper breaths—most of us could, right?
I could take a trip a vacation a getaway
I could take a train to another borough city state
a long walk–a jump into a lake, a creek, the ocean a puddle.
I could take your heart and hold it close like it was a lost part of my soul
as you could with mine
I could take a moment to ask Val. “How was your day?”

Val answers and continues…

VAL: WE COULD TAKE THE FERRY
TALK SHOP IN THE FOG
WE COULD SAVOR THE JAM AND THE PROSE AND THE FOAM
I’D LIKE THAT
I COULD GO LIKE ELVIS LIKE BIJOU LIKE RACHEL
LOOK
DON’T WORRY
I WON’T
I COULD SUBLIME SOMEWHERE OVER THERE
I COULD SWIG ACID RAIN AT THE BAR ON MOTT
SWING BY MISTER FONG’S
169
8BALL IN MY SOCK
I DUNNO
I COULD
PRAY LIKE MEDIOCRE JAZZ
CRUISE THE BLOCK FOR FERAL DOGS
I MIGHT
I COULD SPIT IN GOD’S ONE GOOD EYE
I COULD TEND
TO THE PEARLS
TO THE TOAST
TO THE QUESTIONS
I COULD TAKE YOUR FAVORITE ORCHID TODAY &
PLANT IT IN
GOMORRAH
TOMORROW
I COULD
SIT
SUMMON
SPECULATE
FOR TWO HUNDRED
NINETY CENTS
NO THANKS
I COULD CONJURE 
DAVID DOUBLE U
CAN’T SPELL THE NAME
WON’T EVEN EN TRY
PAPER MASK
DOWNTOWN F
FAG ON
SECOND AVENUE
I COULD REMEMBER WHAT HE FUCKING SAID
AT THE WHITNEY
THAT NIGHT ON THE PIER
HIS POCKETS
FULL OF
VERBS &
STONES

VAL & ROB:
NO
ONE
TELLS
THE
PHOENIX
TO
BURN
A
LITTLE
QUIETER

ROB: We could take that in.
could take some beer and a bucket of wings to your house
and we could watch
cooking competitions like it was 5 years ago
survivor like it was 10
tinder swindler like it was last yearly
TV like it was our childhood
Radio like it was our ancestors
the world go by just as it should
I could take my sweet sweet time
take kisses like candy and candy like hugs
and really, really more hugs
like 168
I could take less time fewer breaks,
          wait, let’s all take more breaks
I could take the cake, dog for a walk, the car for spin
I could take it all in & let it go
I could stop and ask someone to just sing short song a line about sunshine
I could wait
I would say thank you
(someone does?)
Thank you
We could take so much
and give give a lot
Yeah
& where do we go from there?

© 2024 Rob Neill & Val Ramirez



The New York Neo-Futurists are an ensemble that writes and performs work rooted in their lived experiences. In their 20th year, they are best known for our high-energy late-night show, THE INFINITE WRENCH, that fuses elements of poetry, game, and performance art. Currently based in the West Village, to date they have premiered 7,100 plays.