The Tatters

A Mass for Brad Will

3 a Mass for Brad Will If I were a quill I’d write in bright feathers all about you bursting into flight over the heads of cops If I were a handsome feather, I’d walk to City Hall in full plumage and release all of Manhattan’s political prisoners If I were a quill I’d give you life on this quiet page 4 On a four feather day, last one ruffled another grey with black-banded top Then pinfeathers regroup to make a full on . . . You might think his body was blown to bits or burned to ashes Thrown into a favorite body of water Maybe one of the great lakes You might think he was made of feathers or of bird weight No, he was buried whole, perhaps with bullets intact. 5 Critical mass. Yes, he liked to say it. Critical mass is a beautiful way to say we gather to shut down the system so bicyclists can take over the streets Critical mass a way to say we gather so that it matters When the bicyclists take over the streets and bring the city to a standstill, Brad said that is critical mass I asked, “What happens when the city is shut down?” He said, “Then we’ll dance.” He liked a song about a drop of water. In this song, the drops came together to form a trickle, then a stream, a river, a body of water, the power of the water made us aware that we belonged to the earth, that we would protect her, and by the end of the song, the river was free. ...