beset by death we dine
with possibility and choice

When we enter
            into Love
   we enter into
                    Loss.

she's like a captain sailing in a wicked sea
always steadfast in his gallantry

equally impressed by what will be
and never minding his trembling teeth

This morning I
took a piece of gum
with my right hand and
removed the wrapping
with my left.
I threw the gum on the floor
and placed the paper in my mouth.

Death has sat patiently--
waiting for us to blossom
from ignorant youth.

His face,
once concealed,
now shows frightening detail.

This one time
In first grade
I brought a dead snake
into school
for show 'n tell.
When I brought it
out of my pocket
the teacher shrieked
and made me go to the dumpster
behind the school
to throw it away
with a janitor
named Allen.

Perched on a Flat
Above Mountains of Black Ash
The Stars Ripple...
As If The Moon
:
a Bobber—

The Sky
:
Water—

The Stars:
Jewels Sunk Beneath.

(And every evening
a celestial being
gets caught on the hook
'til morning)