Think what you don't want to think;
I'll say it.

Dream what you don't want to dream;
I'll be it.

Now,


See me laughing
the way you know you shouldn't.

If I were to write a poem tonight,

Would it be about the drink growing warm in my hand, or
The cigarette I'll surely be smoking soon?
Would it be a about the day's labor and ...
Unfulfillment?

Could I write about a niece's laughter and value
Beyond money, beyond time,
In concert with the antics of a duck and a bear?
A laughing child,

Who's eyes are tumultuous seas of frustration
And pride, concealing the machinery of wisdom
Behind a simple facade; her nose
Is running, but

Is an act of kindness,
(wiping a 2 year old's nose) a poem?
There is discomfort and confusion, there is
Struggle and pain giving way

To trust, to care and to love.
And she smiles, and she says,
"Thank you," and forgets for a moment,
And asks for her bottle.

And if I were to write a poem tonight ...

Too much to
Much too much,
Too much,
To ... F
            A
               L
                 L
                    I
                    N
                    G
                   S
                T
                       U
            M
                     B
                          L
                    I
                          N
                              G
                                  S,                Into that
                                 D                 Good night
                               R                                       Kiss.
                            A
                        W
                     K                                            
               C
        A
B