i.
I once met a woman who’d been
run over by a truck.
Well, a cement mixer.
Leg like a pancake.
Was her name Karen Horney?
I don’t think so.
ii.
I once met a girl who’d been
struck by a truck.
Cement mixer,
two tons.
Name was Karen Horney.
Or was it.
iii.
I’ll tell you a story
about Karen Horney
and now my story’s begun.
She got run over
by a steamroller,
and now my story is done.
iv.
I once met a woman who’d been
run over by a dump truck.
No, a cement mixer.
Her name, let’s say, was Karen Horney.
v.
Karen Horney has collapsed!
I was shuffling along and suddenly
you were hailing from across the street
you hiked your skirt, ankle-length and asked
had I heard the news
KAREN HORNEY HAS COLLAPSED!
will you look at that
you demanded, baring your calf,
“run right over by a steamroller”
in California, do they even have steamrollers?
I have been to California and countless parties
I have been struck by moving vehicles
and Hollywood stars
but no part of me is flattened
even if I wished it were
oh Karen Horney we love you get up