“A cliché about communists or radicals: they like humanity in abstract, but not concrete people. They are even ready to kill them for humanity. “ — Žižek

The juice of solidarity
has become sour! We see

Woolly Mama models
of the newest clams,

throw out two dummy
dollars for everything cancer-

cleaned, lick the film to reveal
our bones. Beneath the swells of

our nation’s un-tuned harpsichord,
the war is constantly constant.

The communication—constant.
Disintegrating conversations

each of us constantly checking
the constancy of our existence.

We spread out upon the sewing needles
and quartz, quietly move to the organ

bench adjusting our exoskeletons, move
to a new closure trying to tease out

celebration and reproduce in the chicken coop.
Our ideology was hot-plated long ago

at summer camp. Absolutes still kiss
on the couch before the movie.

Let us parcel a man for all apocalypses,
drink the firewater and ignore the asterisms.

Let us tenderize the doe,
tune-up our motorcars,

and wade into the syrup of our maps.

*

Lina ramona Vitkauskas (Lithuanian-American-Canadian, b. 1973) is the author of five poetry books/chapbooks: A Neon Tryst (Shearsman Books, 2013); HONEY IS A SHE (Plastique Press, 2012); THE RANGE OF YOUR AMAZING NOTHING (Ravenna Press, 2010); Failed Star Spawns Planet/Star (dancing girl press, 2006); and Shooting Dead Films with Poets (Fractal Edge Press, 2004). In 2009, she was selected by Pulitzer-finalist Brenda Hillman for The Poetry Center of Chicago’s Juried Reading Award, and nominated by Another Chicago Magazine for an Illinois Arts Council Award.  Publications include Coconut, Requited, DIAGRAM, TriQuarterly, The Chicago Review, The Toronto Quarterly, VLAK (Ed. Louis Armand, Edmund Berrigan), The Prague Literary Review, White Fungus (Taiwan; recently displayed at MoMA), and more.