the big man arrives
disco dancers greet him
plainclothes cops greet him
smalltown bigman
fresh lipstick glistening
sophomore jive
from victims of typewriters
the band sounds like
typewriters
the big man
he's not listening
his eyes hold edith
his left hand holds
his right
what does that hand
desire
that he grips it
so tight?
edith in the ring
the passedover girls
are conferring
the man with the diamond
ring is
purring
all claws for now withdrawn
one by one they
bring his renegade stories
to her
his crimes and his glories to her
in challenge they
look on
women
he has taken
grow
old too soon
he tilts their
tired faces gently
to the spoon
edith
in his bed
a plane
in the rain is humming
the wires in the walls are
humming some song
some mysterious song
bars
in her head
beating frantic
and snowblind
romantic and snowblind she
says his crime
belongs
edith
and the kingpin each
with
charm to sway
are staring
eye to eye
they dare not look away
you know they dare not look away
.
