whodoyou

think you are

a wise man                                         

on some strange adventure                             

escalating overtones                

of aubergine and blue

think you are

            one to talk        one to talk a mile a minute       and one to never stop

talking about nothing       talking about the time we sauntered over to the international

airport and wound up    here

            we are about to expound a notion while you defend a nation i am wondering

if i’ll ever see the light of day?  

of course

we cared enough to make do                                                   got along with peasants

                                                                                                philanthropists and

                                                                                                panda peddlars

                                                            weasels

                                                            walruses          and

                                                            wooden elf widdlers

my favourite was the seer

with so much facial hair you might even believe it

think you are

a spy   man?                                      

on some bland mission ary                             

elevating clues and stones                   

of saffron random blue

think you are

travelling in your travels

            or toiling about your tailcuffs    in fingercuffs    over this   decision    to flee

we were thinking of going somewhere soon

and we went somewhere          soon enough

only the truth

think you are

a bleeding archeologist                                              

on some shallow expedition                           

overturning pots and bones                

of trilobites and you

john

Saturday, January 19, 2002, 5:42 p.m.

Tianmu, Taipei, Are.Oh.See.

next poem

Just not feeling fresh?: righting yourself with my writing