hit.
Close enough for me to brush the lint from your collar
And so breathe a little of my poison upon you;
Your eyes took in, my eyebrows crooked
At the chemical cue;
The hands that shook, the name you took;
The proffered match you do not refuse,
The handshake, the glance, the hint,
The ribald gesture I play to the hilt;
The smoke and the filter, the jester and the joke;
Breathe it in, like this-
a hit, a very palpable hit
Your manner is capable
And your taste improbable
-this wit, this white suit, this cigarette-
Dry lips and wine point my appetite to whet;
One point against, another for-
So I bait the hooks and set the traps
I wind the clocks and wait-
a touch, a touch, I do confess
And now you are pricked,
The drug takes hold
The trap is sprung
And now I am hit-
One point against, another for-
The glass hits the floor
Raise it to my health and,
venom, to thy work