polyphony.

dream.

there was
a searing of conscience
my conscious forgets
i am
one fifth of a man-

last night i awoke dreaming

-fantasizing, perhaps

i was bathing in a poem
naked
amongst my own pennings and
unraveled
in my ramblings

a black and white torture

i could only speak in reverse

. . .s i h t e k i l d e d n u o s t i

suddenly my words had new meaning
and the stars gave attention
a cluster of luminous malcontents
outside my window
and
my speech was
casting shadows that danced in circular
about my bath of script

faith was auctioned early in the proceedings
and fear has penetrated,
no prophylactic

the words silently assembled about my throat
celestial bodies absolving themselves
and
i begin to drown in my collection of pronouncements

...there was
a searing of conscience
my conscious forgets
i am
one fifth of a man-

and revealed through a twilight fantasm
to be nothing more
than a loquacious miscreant
skilled in
stealing women's hearts
and sterilizing them

i wrote my obituary that night
only now
i've learned to read it.