JOSEPH LISOWSKI

The Poetry Of..
Joseph Lisowski...........................................

YOUNG BLOOD

I saw her standin' ona corner,
an' I'm thinkin' of zero at the bone.
Maybe I need a transfusion,
somethin' fresh for this ole flesh.
Booze don't do it no more-
beer just makes me piss,
wine dries my tongue,
whiskey burns my gut,
vodka makes me fart,
which I don't mind
but everyone else does.

Whadda I gotta do
to get some of that ina my veins,
short of goin' back to '74
an' the slick I wasn't then
but at least got to score.

ANOTHER KAZU SONG

Zookeeper, Zookeeper, where the hell you been?
The water's piss an' I ran outa gin.

There's howlin' and pantin' all over town.
I lost it, lost it, can't never be found.

Zookeeper, Zookeeper, give me a stick.
The she cat's a purrin' an' I can't use my prick.

OUT-PATIENT

I been standin' in line
forever-don't matter what-
surplus food, food stamps,
driver's license, traffic court . . .
you name it, I been waitin'
on the mail, on the phone,
for a knock ona door,
for my ole lady to come home,
for the kids to grow up,
for the snow to stop,
for the sun to come up,
for Santa to come,
for the factory whistle to blow,
for the booze to buzz,
for my number to hit,
for my luck to change.

What good does it do?
Be patient, this ole fart tells me,
Good things come to those who wait.
What crap!
If you can't get what you want
when you want it, you lost it.
If you keep waitin' to get
what you want, you've lost your life.

* 'Stashu' is an amalgam of voices from the Lawrenceville neighborhood in Pittsburgh where Joseph grew up in the midst of up-unemployed steel workers, disenfranchised immigrants, often chronic drunks,- who, in spite of it all, had not totally given up hope. These poems are from Joseph Lisowski's unpublished full-length collection, "STASHU KAPINSKI DREAMS OF GLORY".

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