all right,
lets get down to it.

the drinking,
the poems,
the line,
the way.

it's all the same old shit.

and like I've said before,
I do not apologize for this.

you can call it the
song of the universe or
the most terrible
poetry.
(if you can call it that)

I have not starved.

I have not written a classical symphony,
I have not even written a
decent
poem about flowers and
sunshine and love.

I have
NOT !
gone beyond
my means in this world
of
"Jazz"

but make no mistake of it.
there is an embrace for passion and for this
I toast a drink to all the martinis in the world.

I have watched the man attempt love at the
corner of the bar.

I have read the book and
set it down.

I have sorted the ideas from
the past,
over and over again and
questioned their true meaning.