"They Electrocuted a Rogue Elephant," "There is Madness in the Iodine," and "There is a Morbid Organ Grinder"

They Electrocuted a Rogue Elephant

                                                                        they
electrocuted
a rogue elephant
              it’s on film
              in black and white
              early twentieth century
                        he went bad
                        they said
                        Coney Island rampaging
                        elephant
              killed some men
 
              watching the film is like
a little boy yanked out of his
bed
put into a sack in the middle
of the night
you can see parts of the tents 
there were clowns walking
around as the elephant suddenly
shuddered and fell over like a giant wave
having a heart attack
            they put the boy back into
                        the room
                        but he was beaten
                                    his bed turned into a furnace
and the faces on
all his
toys
were
gone

There is Madness in the Iodine

there is madness in the iodine
buttercup mystery
an enigma of grayish-white
entrails or slice brains
without the blood
blanched cross section
the sky full of fat unfolding clouds
after the rain
looking like body parts on Gray’s dissection table

There is a Morbid Organ Grinder

there is a morbid
organ grinder deep
in one of the
pyramids from
Land of The Pharaohs
 
hurry to ask him
questions about how
Toland lit Citizen
Kane because in
about ten seconds
Bettie Page’s S&M
costume is going to
fly down the paper
mache steps leading
into the burial chamber
and forever distract
the grinder man from
faithfully performing
his duties
 
and what are these
sacred ministrations?
 
penultimate nap soda
fire on the mantle
diapers with ozone
nectar vapor locked
box Zoot suit in
the Cabrini rose destiny
 
hope those bandages aren’t
too
tight
Tut