FOLLOW NO LEADER

they followed the leader into the mountains
sat at his feet in a Swiss canton
                 as they decayed
                          like rotting fish

and he looked at them
and said:
               turn off the ventriloquist’s voice
               flush out the snakeoil in the blood
                  your bible
                      your gita
                          your gems
                              your guns
                                  your flags
                                      your death

and at night they went to the nite clubs gobbling and soaking
up the suds
while that thing
between the legs
became
            more urgent
they dished up the cold turkey
of what he had said
        and nobody felt too good
                nobody felt

so they took the train the limousine the rucksack
and went back home

    next year
they followed him to India
and again he looked at them
and said:
                follow no leader
                                guru
            nobody is living
            everybody is dead
and again he told them
                             told them

and again that thing
between the legs
            and between the ears
                       got in the way


HAROLD NORSE
athens/1965