Justin Karcher continues his poetic journey through theater season
The Ability to Rage Correctly
By Justin Karcher
When the sun peels off
its cancer clothes
the moon falls out
like a bundle of stolen loot
it gathers itself together
and climbs to the top of the sky
we’re ready now
entertain us please
give us your charming serial killers
your closeted businessmen
your lusty landladies
your blind handymen
throw those poor souls into a room
the psychology of willful ignorance
let’s see what happens
let’s see if someone dies
so give us your pill-popping birds
birds living atop lazy garbage dumps
birds licking suicidal cigarette crumbs
birds who just wanna have fun
throw those birds into the air
the momentum of desperation
an old man beaten to death
an orphan turned into a couch
most of us just watch
but we’re all the same
something burning inside us all
a director’s voice telling us to fall
how should we look at life? like a play
but imagine a sleepwalker in the audience
and it’s the middle of act one
suddenly the sleepwalker walks onto the stage
they start playing a part
nobody knows what’s going on
but the show must go on
at the end, the audience roars
the sleepwalker is a hit
they never wake up
maybe it’s not about the happy ending
but about knowing who you are
where you stand among the serial killers
the businessmen, the landladies, the handymen
what kind of birds you see
when the world finally throws you into the blue
when the sun peels off
its cancer clothes
when everything falls out of it
all you’ve ever wanted