Mary C. Brown

you know
the hollywood sign
that stands
in the hollywood hills
i don't think
the christ of the andes
ever blessed
so many ills
the hollywood sign
seems to smile
like it's
constantly saying cheese
i doubt if
the statue of liberty
ever welcomed
more refugees

give me your poor
your tired your pimps
you carhops
your cowboys
your midgets
your chimps
give me your freaks
give me your flunkies
your starlets
your whores
give me your junkies

mary cecilia brown
rode to town
on a malibu bus
she climbed to the top
of the hollywood sign
and with the
smallest possible fuss
she jumped off the letter "h"
'cause she did not
become a star
she died in less
than a minute and a half
she looked a bit like
hedy lamarr

sometimes
i have this dream
when the time comes
for me to go
i will hang myself
from the hollywood sign
from the second
or third letter "o"

when mary cecilia jumped
she finally made
the grade
her name was in
the obituary column
of both the
daily trades

i hope
the hollywood sign
cries for the town
it touches
the lady of lourdes
in her grotto
saw fewer cripples
and crutches

give me your poor
your maladjusted
your sick and your beat
your sad
and your busted
give me your has-beens
give me your twisted
your loners
your losers
give me your black-listed

you know
the hollywood sign
witness
to our confusion
a symbol of dreams
turns out to be
a sign of disillusion.