I Am Berlin

I AM BERLIN,
I walk proudly down uncluttered streets,
And pristine walls with arresting punctuality
Look at my beautifully painted face,
Look hard, as I blow smoke into your eyes,
And perhaps you won’t see my heels dragging behind me.

For, I AM BERLIN
Conflict and paradox
Irony and misplaced memories shadow my face
And string a haze across my words
You stumble upon my names
But your moment of pause is confused by the children
Who jump from block to block
My portraits hang along construction
The construction of a city
The construction of a memory
The construction of an absolution
You smile and you frown
And you cry and you imagine
Yet your face is limp; as coffee flows sweetly against my words
Words from the face of a horse about the life of a dog
Do you see it?
Do you feel it?
Do you really hear me?
Or is the sullied concrete beneath us just the snapshot of a tour?

Now I AM BERLIN
My clothing is black
On black
On black
On neon green
Clad in fishnets and army boots,
My legs stand thinner than my smokes
And my dog seems better fed than I
But don’t worry,
He won’t bite
You see, he’s so very well trained
The spray paint stings your eyes as you walk past my unsung artwork
The anarchist symbol shaved into my scalp
Shines brighter than my pink hair
But, I like your music
I like your style
So come with me sister
We’ll fuck the system
We’ll fuck the world system
Or didn’t you know,
Anarchy is a group activity.

No, I AM BERLIN
Would you like to buy a paper?
Only a euro twenty
I know you see me
Even looking down, I can feel you staring
Poor but sexy, that’s what they call it
So what do you say?
Would you like to buy a paper?
Are your pockets too tight?
Do I not seem to need it?
Should my voice be more broken?
Should my ribs chatter against my shirt?
Please, would you like to buy a paper?
Only a euro twenty
I don’t smell of liquor
And I’m doing an honest job
So why are my words are simply moaning undertones in the din of a subway


I AM BERLIN
Do you have a cigarette?
Do you have a light?
You see, I seem to have run all out.