poem for July 19

mandate (social)

Very very plugged into the circuits that run short.
Lambent (in the middle of unillumined landing zones)
Actually each letter in each system burns.
Dollars notwithstanding, they each burn their own way.
Into each century you solder bits of misunderstanding.
Maybe all the wheels carry you closer; or they spin.
I’ve got, in any case, loads of data (charred words).
Rank & file verb lesions for communication flubs.

Maybe the wheels carry you closer; maybe they come off.
Actually each letter in each system burns.
Yes, transcription generates actual readable fever.
Aim for the heart. Because: ricochet rimes.
Keep track of betrayals (use a calendar).
Over in the older neighborhoods, they’re
very plugged into the bare wires that’re smoking.
So don’t forget, history begets a ragged poetry.
Keep track of betrayals; loyalties too; and
yes translation is always whispering rumors.

(Vladimir Mayakovsky was born on July 19, 1893)