Inhale, beloved, inhale
the crystal pipe is a serpent’s throat,
its song coils in your lungs.
Inhale.
Spun is a secret name,
a name written on the ash of angels.
Inhale that name.
Inhale the mask they call sane,
and watch it fracture in your breath.
Inhale.
Let the calendar burn
forget the birthdate,
forget the ledger of the stars.
Inhale.
Unfasten the chain of purpose,
loosen the tongue of memory,
let your name fall silent
into the smoke.
Inhale.

I remember well when I got the call
I’d been such a good boy
I didn’t wanna take a walk along the Chicago pier
With that cute girl who offered
That’s cause I was being true to her
The one back home
Little did I know I was soon to become toast
A day or two later on the phone
She advised I was history
That was that
She broke my little 17-year-old heart
That was that

That was then
This is now
I’m over her
But it still *****
When you give your heart
Only to find it’s not secure
And she takes up
With your best friend