there were spaces to fill, and I filled them, for a time. with bits of this, and some of that. the usual things, I suppose. but the spaces began to grow, as such things often do and I found that all those things had suddenly turned to foes. the subtle war with one’s own self, is a difficult thing. stitches would cause more wounds, while the scars became badges. weaponized clichés waited their turns in the chamber. drunken meaningless wondrous *** of the kind the soul ravages. it becomes easier to ramble, to roundabout the details. feint and parry at the past, be metaphorically rich. and the spaces have filled me up, I think that I will float. don’t fight, if you can fly dying in a ditch.