MY FALL
strange how
having freed myself of all weight
i have come back to earth
i expected
at least
a trip to the clouds
the moon
or even the stars
but away went Sheila
off came the job
& i spat out family
like busted teeth
but i then dropped
at twice the speed of gravity
hit the ground
with a resounding
what next?
strange how
i picked myself up
& as far as i got
was only 5’11
***
WRITING MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY
i
was born
in an attempt
to free myself
from the entanglement
of an open bloody wound
to separate being
into yours & mine
trembling just enough
to inform my body parts
that i’d arrived
while clinging
to whatever was near at hand
& doing everything I could
for the first time –
i filled birth to the brim
then spent the next sixth months
between warm expectation
& uncertainty
taking life upon myself
while being little understood -
in case i remembered none of this
i meticulously took notes
***
NO GHOST
i don’t believe in ghosts
& even if i did
i wouldn’t believe in your ghost
as it
flits between rooms
up & down corridors
wails & moans
from afar
& up close
the scenes you make
are never less than permanent
no wispiness
no see-through
so this is no ghost
& this is not you
what i’m seeing is not there
& even if it was
that wouldn’t justify
it being here