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'The Good Life' Not by Bud Smith


by Bud Smith


they have these posters on NYC subways now
corner of the car, over there where the cobwebs grow 
Poetry in Motion the MTA calls it 

it's a real peaceful thing
better than Dr. Zizmore ads 
anyway

middle of the day, coming 
north from Far Rockaway 
instead of staring at nothing 
I look over in the far corner and try to read 
a poster with 'The Good Life'
by Tracy K. Smith 
on it

there's a guy sitting with his elbows 
on his knees and he looks like 
he's eaten a junkyard dog 
for lunch and he sees me looking 
to the corner where he's at
in the cobwebs and the flickering light 

I'm looking past his shoulder 
trying to read the Poetry 
in Motion poster

a lady with a bag blocks my view 
and I move my head

'When some people talk about money
They speak as if it were a mysterious lover'


elbow guy stills sees me looking over by him 
sees me squinting 

"You got a problem?" he says 

I shake my head no, and I lean in a little closer

'Who went out to buy milk and never
Came back, and it makes me nostalgic
For the years I lived on coffee and bread'


"Wut you staring at me for?"

'Hungry all the time, walking to work on payday
Like a woman journeying for water'

"Get a good look, bitch."

I can't read the end of this 
because elbow guy's head is in the way
now that he's turned his baseball cap 
to the side 

he stands up

"STILL LOOKING AT ME BRO? 
 MEAN MUGGING ME, MOTHERFUCKER!"

he's tall, scarred fists hanging 
hurray

I say, "Nah, move to the side, move out of the way."

"WUT THE FUCK YOU SAY TO ME FAG?"

I stand up and scream, "I SAID MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!
I'M TRYING TO READ THAT SWEET FUCKING POEM
HANGING THERE BEHIND YOUR IGNORANT ASS!"

he turns, surprised
like ... ah look at that
a beautiful poem 
he faces the poster 
like it's the sun 
and he reads it 

I watch him mouth the words


'From a village without a well, then living
One or two nights like everyone else
On roast chicken and red wine.'





section break italics by Tracy K. Smith's poem 'The Good Life' as seen on an MTA poster on the A train 
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