Aside

Measure me in metered lines and one decisive stare

The time it takes to get from here to there

My ribs that show through T-shirts

And these shoes I got for free

I'm unconsoled, I'm lonely

I am so much better than I used to be

Terrified of telephones and shopping malls and knives

And drowning in the pools of other lives

Rely a bit too heavily on alcohol and irony

Get clobbered on by courtesy

In love with love and lousy poetry

And I'm leaning on this broken fence

Between past and present tense

And I'm losing all those stupid games

That I swore I'd never play

But it almost feels okay

Circumnavigate this body

Of wonder and uncertainty

Armed with every precious failure

And amateur cartography

I'm breathing deep before

I spread those maps out on my bedroom floor

And I'm leaning on this broken fence

Between past and present tense

And I'm losing all those stupid games

That I swore I'd never play

But it feels okay

And I'm leaving with goodbye

And I'm losing but I'll try

With the last ways left to remember, sing

My imperfect offering