All Day Long

By: David Lerner

Photo: Jim Talbot

you learn to walk like a lion
down streets built for
beetles and frogs

you learn to 
carry a fist of desire
in your belly

and the insect roars of miniature tyrants
who'd like to 
wear you for a ring

you learn to spill your pride
in the street
like it was nothing

to beg for pennies
with the style of a pirate
the pathos of an accident victim
the guts of a feral dog

learn to 
hold your love close to you
like the pride of a slave

learn that
charm is only a detail

that we are just accidents of longing

that the morning is nowhere near as
powerful as the night

You can find the poetic works of David Lerner at ZEITGEIST PRESS