The source of the singer’s lament,
stuck in his clogged throat,
holds the story in its hideous space.

Hiding the false meaning he was told,
tittering like the bird, hiding in its
plastic cage,

he tries to sing, but chokes instead,
too much this day his daily bread,
his Vegas stint, his small event.

—

Stanley Kaplan has published poetry in a number of journals, including Onthebus, Midstream, Chiron, Ragazine, Quiet Courage etc. with more forthcoming. He lives in New York City, where he paints as well as writes, He is the recipient of a Pollock- Krasner Foundation grant and his paintings can be seen at www.pkf.org.