The Cowardly

There are so many people
who live life in a cowardly

fashion. I don't want
to be like this ever. Oh these

people, they might as well
be figurines

that you buy in a tourist
shop, figurines

of great, cowardly leaders
who wear very expensive

jewelry and go to parties
and look like they

have never breastfed
a child or fucked

a lover or picked
up after a dog

named Milton.
Maybe these people believe

in God, maybe they
don’t. Who cares.

The worst, though,

is to aestheticize
cowardice and justify

it through art. Kafka might
have done

This but that’s OK
Because he is Kafka.

It is never OK to
Aestheticize cowardice

Unless you are Kafka
And you are not Kafka.

You are a tournament
Descending on the Rose Parade

Presented by Honda.
You have created a float

At this point
In history

Because you were asked
To participate because you

Are a citizen and you
Are not cowardly like a rose.

You are centering your
Participation like a Zen master

Wherein you find the inner you
Entertaining as if you are

Watching a million floats
Glide by on the street.

You are now Elliott Smith
Singing Rose Parade

Because you live in Los Angeles
And you are high

And you have gone down
To see the funeral of the Rose Parade

Even though Pasadena is far
Away from your house and your boyfriend

Won’t be happy that you camped
Out there like a loser. You are sort of like

A float in the audience and everyone
Sees you are participating

In a cowardly succession of plants.
Somewhere in the parade

A mother has given birth
To a RAM which is a symbol

Of peace and promise.
The RAM would never be afraid

Of society. The clouds bunch up
Like the fist of... father time.

Any minute now
A bolt will strike either one
of the participants, the Ram or you.

You really need to get back
To the warm cozy feeling of rain

In your apartment in Los Angeles.

At some point the RAM
wilts away and so do the tigers

and other animal-
flower mix tapes.

Even flowers presented by Honda
Just wilt away why is this?

How can a Honda wilt
It is so strong and uncowardly?

How can a corporate speeding Honda
Wilt like the audience members?

Now everyone is crying
At the beauty of the floats and the rivers

Of people are moving
And being moved by Hondas and

Pure sentiment.

You are in need of a Honda Accord
To bring you back to your boyfriend

In a faux Swiss chateaux on Melrose Ave
So you page him or

Something like that who
Can remember?