The Touched Life

By David Ray
1969


The touched life
gives up dignity,
cries aloud in public,
gets down on the floor
with the children of light
and of darkness,
weeps openly
or in secret,
yearns for a face
that is gone or
a face in the mirror,
defends the assassin,
sees only glory,
sees no end
to the suffering,
no opening up,
no gifts coming                                                        "The Scream,"  1893
finds meaning in wheat,                                            by Edvard Munch [1863-1944],
mostly isn’t wanted,                                                 European expressionist painter
is victim to anything
a cow, a wooden bucket,
can stand in the doorway
and gawk,
weeps at bikes leaning
together, scrawls notes
madly, shoves them
into books,
is lunatic, wonders
which will come first
the collapse of
capitalism or the emancipation
of man,
can be a gatekeeper,
can paint plates,
can hear the terrible meanings
go on speaking
can stand offering spirit,
saying would do anything for—
and what do we do
how do we pay back
the touched life
that spirit pure
as the baby rabbit—
with bars across the road
slaps across the face
by edict saying
it shall not happen
this miracle of
human closeness.