OUT OF SYNC

Out of sync, out of touch,
Out of step, out of tune,
Disconnected and desolate,
Drunk and detached
From the world, from TV,
From the mass of consumers
Who flock to the movies,
From conspiracy theorists,
From self-help, from the gravity's
Pull that binds us all to this
Earth, from the issues
Removed, unimpressed, disenchanted,
Disillusioned with romance,
O.J. Simpson and Hollywood,
Modern writers who sport
Words like "cunt", "fuck" and "shit"--
I'm numb to it all, I'm tired of it--
All the current debates,
All the pros and the cons,
All that's said, all that's done
With consent or without.
If I only could breathe
Like the leaves in the light,
If I only could speak
To a stranger tonight
In a poem or a song
Like the blossoming spring
Out of sync, out of touch,
Out of step, out of tune,
Like this sky, like this night,
Like this silvery moon.

                                       June 21, 1995
                                   --Alexander Shaumyan