I have my stacks,
my stacks of poetry
& science fiction
surrounding me.

Haiku
& Thoreau,
Gibson
& The Wasp,
Shakespeare & Poe,
amongst lots of others.

And in those moments
I'm high on green tea
& cheesecake,
I hear their whispers,
calling out,
calling out to me
& oh what comfort,
how soothing it is
when the books talk,
they're not fakers,
reminding me of love,
the starry heavens above,
nature & androids,
humanoids & war,
a little bit of peace.

And you know
my good friends,
I don't need *****
or ******* cigarettes
to tuck me in at night,
just my whispering books,
everybody should
have some lying around,
just to hear their murmuring.