Common knowledge
by EVELYN SPEAR
Common knowledge is blue clay
brick pulled from the earth building
a city we can love together
The others never had to suffer
changing titles, archetypes
and blackmail Underground
cloistered city, light flashes red A
bicycle chained to the overpass
looks down instead
overlooks, gables on and off like
a school of fish Architectural
intercessor stuck between
man and the divine Circling
the Loop like a monastery
originated the origins of the origins
of repetition Mortared brick revival
knowledge moves skyward against
the coffered union Bridled the
horses in your mouth
speaking used knowledge
Familiar because of the color pink
When is a fish like a building?
Both are gutted for convenience
sometimes for envy
Cut to bleed Clay to weep until dry
Scavenge a wall and harvest the roe
Pulling from the earth or the sea
either method makes good on our
desire to mimic the sun If there is
any brick left build across the water
Evelyn Spear is a multimedia artist and poet. She is from the Pacific Northwest but fell in love with Chicago and has been hooked ever since.