Unwinding in a cavernous bodega he suddenly
Burst out：——Barman， these tumblers empty themselves
And yet I persist； I am wedged in the giant eye
Of an invisible needle. Walking through doors
Or into them， listening to anecdotes or myself spinning
A yarn， I realize my doom is never to forget
My lost bearings. In medias res we begin
And end： I was born， and then my body unfurled
As if to illustrate a few tiny but effective words
But——oh my oh my——avaunt. I peered
Forth， stupefied， from the bushes as the sun set
Behind distant hills. A pair of hungry owls
Saluted the arrival of webby darkness； the dew
Descended upon the creeping ferns. At first
My sticky blood refused to flow， gathering instead
In wax-like drops and pools； mixed with water and a dram
Of colourless alcohol it thinned and reluctantly
Ebbed away. I lay emptied as a fallen
Leaf until startled awake by a blinding flash
Of dry lightning， and the onset of this terrible thirst.