BEING DRUNK
one mad molecule
d a n c i n g on the edge
of oblivion
I live between my eyes
& the ever-present emptiness

exist for a fleeting moment
observing the passage
of something into nothing
materiality is a hoax!

I AM here
he WAS there
she HAS BEEN here
they once WERE

moments in the flow
islands in the illusion
of permanence

I am drunk with life
cirrhotic with desires
inebriate & ignorant
my voice cracks << echoes >> d r i f t s
stum-ble-s over this syntax of lies

I cannot eat this reality
this furniture
that house
cannot have & hold
any of it

this magnificent illusion
that there is something
some substance
where there is nothing
but passing
a peristaltic yearning
a dervish turning...

[]

philadelphia 1992