from the sidelines
she watched
as earth books & gallery
quietly unfolded its soft-shelled gems
to the world around ocean park to venice
one dollar beauties lined up on plywood horseback
like ancient warrior kings they sat reigned
then charged into hand into consciousness
out of back-room print jobs spoke deep language foreign new to eye and ear
as sparked words shock leapt off mimeo page bled into eyeballs
warmed as sweat poured beyond the unknown meat of men
frozen in place by truth shocked and surprise hit squarely into young eye
and suddenly *snap*
i was
alive