Third World by Louie Crew East Orange, NJ A woman fills her cup above our male stench.  I'd sooner die of thirst!..... Then the man next to me finishes, shakes, reaches his fingers to that same trough, brings drops to the crown, wipes it dry, as quick as a snake's tongue, drops his djellaba, and carries his rinse into a clean Arab sun. Mine goes home all American.   Le Tiers monde by Louie Crew and translated also by L.A. Crawford Une femme remplit sa tasse au-dessus de notre puanteur masculine. Moi, je préfèreais mourir de soif!.... Et puis l'homme à côté de moi termine, secoue, étend ses doigts à cette même cuvette, apporte des goûts au bord, l'essuie si vite comme la langue de serpent, laisse tomber son djellaba, et apporte son rinçage à un soleil arab propre. Le mien rentre chez moi tout américain. Louie is the author of 1,790 published poems and essays.  He is emeritus professor of English at Rutgers, the State University of  New Jersey, and has edited special issues of College English and Margins.  He has written four poetry volumes: Sunspots (Lotus Press, Detroit, 1976) Midnight Lessons (Samisdat, 1987), Lutibelle's Pew (Dragon Disks, 1990), and Queers! For Christ's Sake! (Dragon Disks, 2003).  Louie lives with Ernest Clay, his husband of 33 years. The University of Michigan collects all his papers.   http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~lcrew

(photo by Donald Curtis)