Baby Sitters in September

September 50 x 40 cm mixed media painting by Karin Goeppert

THE BABY SITTER

Getting someone last second to give a twelve minute speech on

“construction engineering issues with special regard

to Stalinist era high-rise housing in East Berlin”—impossible.

Maybe you remember (or probably don’t)

Gerald R. Ford? When Nixon was going down

in flames his idea of preemptive revenge

on an ungrateful nation was to replace his corrupt

Vice-President (the wonderful Spiro T. Agnew)

with mediocre “Gerry” Ford (i.e., Nixon’s successor), a man

who became famous for losing his footing—

tripping over the trains of fine ladies’ gowns

at state receptions. Stepping out of Air Force One

while waving at the adoring masses and not stumbling

at the same time was a considerable feat for Gerry. Apparent

physical ineptitude became his signature, his prop, his claim

to a personal style, like Roosevelt’s smile, Clinton’s cigar.

Still, if you keep

recent presidential history in mind, he didn’t do a bad job—

sub-zero expectations and no daddy hang-ups.

So, the next time you’re looking for a baby sitter

(as hard to find as construction engineers)

you might do worse than a tattooed girl

with tongue stud, red eyes, chronic sniffles. Behind

that blank gaze—which isn’t even a gaze, which isn’t even  

an empty stare on a subway platform at midnight—

so alienating that she looks indeed like she’s from

another planet—and beneath a voice flattened by tons

of post-modern urban nihilism—

affection just might be waiting its last chance,

responsibility and good citizenship their renaissance.

And standing next to her, a lump

of pierced boy-meat, a moving pattern

of crystal meth ticks, is breathing through his mouth.

Drastically pint-sized, wiry as a garrote,

is he not an Eagle Scout incognito?

Beethoven's Third Symphony, 4th movement
Danmarks Radio SymfoniOrkestret - Fabio Luisi