Put them all in a plastic baggy with a match
And go for a walk,
Not just around the block
But as far as I can until the road
Ends in a fork and stop.
Hitch a ride in a rusted pickup truck,
Hop in back, rattle the bones
All night long under the stars
Until the silver light of the moon
Makes the stains on the metal bed
Look like blood and stop.
Jump out when the truck slows
And roll down a hill
Around and around
To the bank of a river and stop.
Dive in and swim for a while
And then float like flotsam
Until I’m fighting to breathe
And flailing for the opposite shore
And drag myself to land again and stop.
Shed frigid drenched shirt,
Curl up and shiver until I remember
The bundle of poems I never lost.
Light them on fire
One by one until there’s only one left
And then stop.
Warm my hands over the flames,
Add some sticks and brush
Until there’s a blazing light
So I can start again,
So I can write again,
Smudging charcoaled words
On this palimpsest last sliver
In front of a fire
That never goes out
And I wont ever stop.
No comments:
Post a Comment