Tesla's Hotel Room

In the last days of wonder

When spirits still flew

Where we sat holding hands

In half-darkened rooms

Nicola Tesla

In the hotel New Yorker

Nursing sick pigeons

By the open window

Dreamed of a death ray

To disintegrate matter

Detected Morse code

From faraway planets

He couldn't stand the touch

Of hair or of skin

But stroked feathers gently

On trembling wings

And drew plans for a camera

To photograph thoughts

Vacuum tube lights

Wireless phones

In the last days of wonder

When spirits still flew

Round bubbling test tubes

In half-darkened rooms

Edison and westinghouse

In silk brocade

Ate oysters Rockerfeller

With french champagne

But Tesla grew thin

Eating only saltines

Going days in his lab

Without any sleep

Dreaming of God

As an x-ray beam

He was hit by a cab

While crossing the street

Lying on his bedspread

He struggled to breathe

The light bulbs exploded

The air filled with wings

In the last days of wonder

When spirits still flew

Tesla vacated

His half-darkened room