until the work becomes you | poem

poetry

at some point

the work

it becomes you.

consumes like waves

thrown by mother nature

over a pier.

thoughts you didn’t ask for

can fog the mind

like plumes of smoke.

maybe verse will find you

alone

in a dully lit bar

where a bartender

and their drunk regulars

argue over a few spilt pennies

until the jar

takes the form

of alabaster.

what it boils down to

what it comes

down to

is the swallow

of consumption.

you go to the place

where few words are ever

encouraged

or required.

but there are words

out there

they swirl like leaves

inside the gut of a man

who consumes too much

of everything—

slop included.

some of the best writers

consider their words to be

a red traffic light.

others the touch of a woman’s thigh

or classical sound

one that reminds them

there are still symphonies to be heard

in this world.

as the work becomes you

addiction compounds  

until only

the writer

can depart.

some go smiling

into the afterlife  

with plenty left said.

others depart

with the reluctance

of a tired infant  

but not nearly

enough of what matters

written down.