(See also We Two Boys and Variations On. )

1.
two latch on to each other out of desire.
habits form and love becomes.

not wanting to seem helpless and scare him off
i began to look about for more permanent,
i mean relatively permanent,
relations with men.

her legs refused to stand
she could not remember where to go.
she would not speak
her words had become unlatched.
food was not important
no taste would remain.
and yet he sat with her
refusing to let it all disappear.

Waging a doubtful battle with the shade,
how should I begin?

2.
..or perhaps another drink.
Is it possible to cease if you do not exist?

I am here to say but cannot speak
the bottle is empty, my mouth dry
equilibrium compromised

why don’t you simply understand me for who i am and how i love?
and why do we eternally return to these moments?
and why must we always do these things?

please open me
raw is why I collapse at the doorstep
too much wine without understanding
speak the words, i’ll settle down.

…or perhaps another drink.

3.
Regardless of whether or not I believe in them, they lay before me, undeniable.
Facts, objects, the relics of an evening dripping with beginnings.

4.
Two latch on to each other out of desire
Heartache clot, Riotous feed.

…how should I begin?

5.
Aghast enactment be
A scant anthem beget
macabre birth confide
barbaric decent of him

6.
here we are now on this beautiful mountain with such a view
it’s a confirmation of the investment i’ve made for myself
i never wanted to be underground.

7.
speak the words,
i’ll settle down.