Rena J. Worley

HEAVE HO

Why are you staring at my hat?

Multitudes mummer
Standing tunnel cool
In crowded lucent waiting
I feel you staring
At my floppy black brim
One hand push covers to eyelids
Two fisted pull folds hot ears
No hair escapes
No deterrent appears

Stop staring at my hat

Clammy air wafts my wake
While slow drifts pull me to you
Still staring at my hat
Eyes veer now push my face
Burrowing my brain
No longer staring at my hat
No retreat anticipates the train

Stop staring at my face

Aside concrete platform edge
You ignore my hat and face
With willful actions push insult
Twitchy fingers pull sleeve ends
To crescive loud track hum
No focus on my hat or face
No grasp of looming fate’s outcome

Stop staring into space

Open red hands quickly push
Seconds drag slow-motion fall
As roaring engine deafens disbelief
Conductor’s raw grimace shouts
Louder than rasping brake squeal
Details locked in memory
To pull repeated electric thrill
No lost colorful detail
No guilt associated kill

Stop bleeding on the tracks

Smirks pull black brim
Up metal stairs to hot streetside
Giggles push up a dry throat
Spontaneous to gurgle out
Screams and gasps expand
One massive bellow from below
Permanent end to unsought stare
No more lingering contempt
No more persistent prying dare

Why are you staring at my hat?

Sidewalk crowd weave hole
Clasp onto indignant eyes
Watch checking briefcase foe
Abut to nonstop traffic growl
Stands shiny toe to curb
I pose erect push back your glare
Hat pull still eyelid tight
No open empty pavement lane
No walk light carefree flight

Stop staring at my hat


RJ's YouTube video reading of "Heave Ho":



Subscribe and turn on Notifications for Channel 52.


RJ confesses: "Would you ride the NYC subway at night? During the day? Type ‘subway incident’ in a web search and New York City plasters the listing page. No criminal consequence, mental illness, uncivil unprovoked outrage. On the train, the platform, in the station, now the street, assume nowhere is safe."

RENA J. WORLEY is a Word Artist residing in rural Michigan. She began publishing in the Five-Two on May 27, 2019.