one

the day drags , a european cigarette
laced with opiates. i draw on it
instead of you. i wasn't out
for blood, but there's rusty
footprints heading away.

i think of all the ways this could be
something besides the ultraviolet catastrophe
we made. there's maybe two, but they
aren't very clear. my visioning's suffered
since the last half of the decade.
if we only have four years to live
i'd say that's quite a long time
to know about it.

you know what you gotta do
i know what i think i want to maybe do.
or can rustle up a close facsimile
from the raw materials left around the house:

metal shavings on the mac adaptor
ashes on the porcelain map of florida
card with a smiley face, card with a flower.
a blooming in carmine and velvet rose .

all i have to do is forget
which ones need water
and which ones don't.