A POEM from WILLIAM "WILD BILL" TAYLOR
TIME SERVED

the face of the broken man appears to one man with the loud
mouth and shaking godspeed
in the crack houses where the lost and found
are gathered in the speakeasy future
of dying dung wounds
and the alabaster holding tank screams
you have warrants out sinner
credit for time served?
the pregnant mother whose back is covered
in a black tattoo haze of the Mexican subculture
no insurance suspected driver's license
INS has a hold on you
Christ is processed through
he needs to see the nurse
his chest x-ray is negative for TB
but his wide MIA sternum shows a broken
heart
unseen tears for those soon to be booked
checking out with duplicate fingerprints
he gave me is baloney sandwich
and I knew that my warrants had been erased

                                    this time...                                    

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Wild Bill Taylor, a native Virginian, is the former Director of Emergency Medical Services at the Jersey City Medical Center, Jersey City, NJ, and the cities of Pasadena and Corpus Christi, TX. He now lives in Katy, Texas, devoting his full time energies to poetry, fiction, short stories, and commentary. He remains in close proximity to his two children and psychiatrist.