To Whom It May Concern Poem by Chaz Walker

This may concern you, or not, it’s your choice
Like the thought of using depth as voice,
To scissor paint the picture

For purpose and poise, where shape, plot
And mood takes form by way of characters.
There may be a hidden valley in this story,

Or not, stretched across a humble bay with quiet houses,
Where so many dreams bear fruit, and blossom
Down short and winding presidential roads.

There could be a sign, which reads, “You’re Welcome! ”
And there may be barking dogs

As you pass, or there might be kids singing
And dancing in the streets, followed by long walks
Where smitten, punk rock teenagers find freedom.

Maybe, you’ll catch a glimpse of two star-crossed lovers
Slow dancing in a checkered kitchen, where the radio’s
Tuned to 106.3 FM: as aliens wail on acoustic harps.

Maybe some days it rains diamonds, and maybe
Some days it shines silence, and maybe for once

You question what you read, wondering if it will
Lead you anywhere. Maybe it will—to the back
Of your mind, or on a gold record.

Is this how you create an epiphany,
Or maybe rewrite history...

By opening the surface of the world
With jackhammer eyes, to unearth a memory
Called love, once lost: via carbon dating.

Open your perception! Feel with your eyes!
Believe in your heart! Live fast as dynamite!

Maybe, just maybe, if you look real hard
Beyond the map of a hundred disguises,
We’ll see comprehension the way art critics do.

In that faraway town. In a distant dream.
There she is! Lovely, beautiful, and broke:

My ex-girlfriend on a cell phone
At the train station.