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