About the column:
Where I Go When I Go to Walgreens
I have today.
At least –
I may not be here
Tomorrow.
I fear, I know
I will disappear –
Like that man
Who drifted off,
Woke to find
His yellow floaty
Among the silver
Blue backs of fish,
Milky skin
Burnt to a crisp –
The laughingstock
Of all perch and porgy.
This is to say –
As I step out the door
I am cast out to sea
Far, far out of reach
Of anything that stands
On two feet.
This is to say –
To pull up my jeans,
To brush my teeth,
Is to surmount
Formidable risk.
That to live one day
Is to stand alone,
In an alleyway.
This is to say –
I will follow that
Small white rabbit,
And never find
My way back –
Turning, tunneling,
Turning again.
I will forget
To stop running,
Go around the planet
Five times over
Before I stop
To rest.
At least –
I have today.
I close my eyes,
Wipe my forehead
With a sigh,
Put away that
Eternal loneliness
For the clear blue sky.