the first law of thermodynamics no. 6

he thought about how his shoulders are broader
than he would like them.
that this makes him feel like he is a man now and
‘it’s either that or I need to get shirts that don’t fit so tight.’

it got cold as soon as the sun was all gone
and everyone went in side to wait for Jeopardy to come on
because they all wanted to yell at something.

when he sat down on the deck each night
listened to the waves crash, and break,
and it was so dark that he couldn’t see them
or anything really past the deck
which was well-lit and had a cooler full of cold beer

when he sat down on the deck each night
he thought “now the heart is a muscle so it can’t really
break or crash like the waves and really
the sand, it just gets displaced goes some where else .
everything it seems has a place to go, even if it’s not where you want it to
be right now so maybe shut
up just shut up and sit in the dark,
on a deck, listening to the waves
,which you can’t see,
go crash, break
go pull, strain”

things about how oceans are just great big puddles that move
or really one big puddle with a couple bumps in it
and how the oceans is vast and contains multitudes
of things, all kinds of things! pirate ships and submarines
and other things made of styrofoam and cookie cutter sharks
which have bioluminescent bellies and sand and molecules of hydrogen and oxygen
and other things from the periodic table of elements,
and plenty of skeletons.


months later with a veranda on the side roof, the one out the kitchen window
he is walking along looking for fairmount park
which may or may not be on a map
and he thinks “and there is something about telephone poles
that reminds me of birds.
this is something that goes both ways,
like a vcr,
like a midfielder, a tennis ball,
box-office opening weekends
or at least half of the conversations I’ve ever had.”

and yes, there is something about telephone poles that reminds me of birds
and it can work both ways
and I heard in japan they erect buildings literally over night
or a fortnight or however many nights it takes to get to three,

what I am saying is some times things go quicker when you don’t notice them
or because there is something enticing about the periphery
which is something I have found more than learned
when it’s cold now, the sun has little to do with anything
and the leaves were bright and on the trees
and now they’re bright and on the ground
and when the wind blows
(which it does) they are bright and everywhere and in the air
and in this weather we all have scarves and thermal shirts
for to keep the warm in
and he sends her an envelope through satellites asking her
if she’d maybe like to go see the dylan movie
and for once that there is nothing old about what he is
and that things go on forever until they stop
and this yes has a deal to do with skeletons
for there is nothing morbid about death and dying.