when i was young

i liked levine   he was accessible 

now that i'm old   and falling apart   

i like levine   he is accessible

in between i liked the others   the nerudas   

the blaise cendrars   the luis vaz de camões

the ecstasy of whitman   the pathos of de castro

the dark soul of frost   time was mine to unravel 

time has unraveled   thoughts   complicated and dark   

are unwelcome   unwanted 

age matters   dark imagery suits the burgeoning spirit

darkness come naturally with age   no need to pursue it

a few pages of levine before bed sets me adrift 

where i float homeward and upward   not inward