I walked with her
from The Blocks
to the book shop
later we drank
homemade wine
in her crumbling house
I smelled sweet cakes
and Japanese love poems
    Have you met Edith?
    she asked
   (as have many others)
but I only had eyes
for her.

Lions run beside us
through the cave
down the temple staircase
    will I remember you?
or this day or night
    will you remember me?
feeding turtles by the orange shore
lions sleep beside us
and we dream

Bing bing **** annouce
train to Chiang Mai departs soon!
the king sleeps dog barks

I compose
right cheek on pillow
cool eye towards the morning
the greatest poem
ever
but
the words vanish
and I cannot not bring them back

so

I pick up my phone
TAP TAP the vilest thing I can imagine
send it out to the world
where
O
so many
throw their
***
against it.

Like your orange bowl
of sweets and sweet love
    It’s part of me now

              No way Jose, No way.

Like the place we first met
that begins with B
    Let’s go back tonight

              No way Jose, No way.

Because all the dogs down in here
smell your disdain
    And say

              No way Jose, No way.

This boat’s going to sink
so let’s get drunk
    and love

              On this day Jose, On this day.