Joe Strummer’s North Carolina
by Dylan Hull

Runestone, volume 3

Joe Strummer’s North Carolina

Up the crunchy distortion, kill the quiet
With percussive punctuation, like knuckle kiss
to busted lip.  Tonight the kids wanna riot
to the rhythm of our power chord symphony.  This
show, like any other, is warfare, so raze the trees
and the battlements of our enemies. It’s June
in charlotte and on stage these faces are keys
locked in my ignition.  The pit will open soon
with our frontman diving in a crowd of night
cloaked punks and everyone leaning on the bar
will either get up to leave or join in dance.  AH delight!
blood spattering across this tobacco burst guitar
from ruptured fingers.  The only art I may have mastered —
sinking out of tune with your pitch perfect disaster.