the Same Patrick

Then appearing to see how children see.

You are an infantilizing monster

though the chest is good. How

all of the properties you were embarrassed about

I reveled in. The countless tent-

pole pores and skin slung between them.

How is this gizzard flesh not repellant?

But even if not wizening under the clothes this:

say you are a totally average kid who

through literally nothing but inaction

fell into intramural football in your

freshman year of college

and got huge. But not quite like that.

Say, you, muscular and pert

though not at serendipity's sake

but hard work. You were a not

unpopular camp counselor all summer

(you never did this, my loving was contingent upon it)

and suffered Exodus-like bug-bites

and sun burn, but grew long sinewy muscles

and your forearm hair went from black

through tawny to golden. Ebullient;

verdurous; less knowledge but for res verum.

Decorous deltoids, whether you slay the eye

or string the soul up from the willowy

tendrils of an old Yew and all the arils fall off

the thrushes will know what to do.

I'm Feeling Sleepy

Remember when somnolence

was a way of life?

and awaking on the train

but somnolent happened?

Damien, I love you.

I don't know if I love you.

You are a luciferous bitch,

persistent as faerie lights

—and those pins

to keep the attention span long.

The lake house was underwater,

required so much maintenance

was the only place where

temperature-appropriate shorts

could be worn, in the summer.

The obstinate ponce

would not get out from under it.

Ever. Strongly considered

moving everything out at night

and leaving the soporific shell

for the bank. But didn't.

To the border of noteworthiness,

it was Michigan, after all.

Manipulating the old dials

with your fingers. I could not

lift myself from the couch.

As if I had a Giger count,

had already given in,

given over many of the

properties of life

to a series of machines inside me

that were

themselves ariot with malignant growth.

The insertion of plea,

if impassioning could be raised:

Do you have any idea

what old vellum is like?

Pount

if the blunt mallet could be raised.