joseph of arimathea or so

Me and my bad shoes in the rain
and cars passing soft
like all of us dead and wounded bodies quietly falling
into each other's arms.
And the sugar nails that hold us to these bad hills, I will pull them
out of your hands with my teeth.

I have said this often enough before --
we have nothing to share but a coat or two, possibly
rides in a car.
But Joseph the stranger, he was rich
and a good man in his way
and in the twenty four hour convenience store
the utter light and silence amazes my eyes.
My dear ones.
In secret I will kiss
your sugar wounds.

On the bad hills we walk up and down
and it is not difficult, nothing is difficult
and the sweet ocean is near.
I shall be cared for by strangers, and this
shall be love in a sort of perfect form and
we are not ones who last for long
and our Joseph lovers
wrap us in good night.

from Graffiti for JJ Harper
poems by Maggie Helwig, 1991