SOON ENOUGH TO DUST  (II)  (2-14-96, Galveston Island, Texas)

 
how much easier  
with a well  
placed cut  
to slip away  
with gravity  
then soon enough  
to dust  
just a fading  
memory  
in the heads  
of those  
who only thought  
they knew me  
well  
an asteriskless  
footnote  
barely even  
a momentary  
fleeting  
afterthought  
once all is  
said and done  
reduce me not  
to a name  
on stone  
for all  
of us  
are already gone  
one final  
slow dance  
through sea  
to sand  
released  
relieved  
replaced  
at last  
this broken man  
i am  
for now  
much too  
soon gone  
from such  
prolonged  
one way only  
in and out  
prematurely interrupted  
profound  
displacement  
as i am  
here even now  
in this  
unspoken  
purge worded  
write  
so fast  
becoming  
less than one  
yet still  
somehow  
within its reckless  
math  
i sense  
realize  
and know  
despite such  
hopeless  
subtractive deletion  
an even greater  
multiplication  
comes  
wherein the  
resultant  
ultimate sum  
of all i  
ever was  
of all  
i transcendently  
am  
is still yet
far beyond  
the illusory  
emptiness  
of  
none