Poem For Dave
now when
you sleep you
sleep as
deep as
the space between
orion's belt &
the big dipper
now
spacemen exist because
you said so
i said i
WILL NOT
betray
any myth you
may have created
for yourself but
don't start a life
you can't finish
you're fruit
planted in
winter paralysis occurs when
a loved one dies
& headlight eyes
shine through
foggy smiles spreading
like highways across
sad faces
(then someone says
did you get any
tears in the pizza?)
& my spirit is sagging
like plantains rotting
on a windowsill baked
by late summer sun
it's friday
& i'm sagging
off a barstool holding you
in my pocket you
are the flood & you
are the life raft & you
are two feet dancing
across an encyclopedia
in a
century ballroom
the only thing
left of you is
your hand
it is
my hand too
when something
ridiculous is said
you wave
my hand
in the air
brushing away the
letters lingering there
where did
tomorrow run off to
who did
yesterday say good-bye to
when is
today gonna get here
why am i
still cleaning up those
ridiculous letters
we carelessly brushed to the floor
night after night after night after
Nili Barton 2012
