conversations with the hat man

the nail's long gone.

you have a lot of third noise, Anthony, somewhere in you.

hold me in the cell.

hat man is somewhere where time isn't an arrow, except as the metaphor of St. Sebastian.  where time is cortege, is in attendance.

hat man was there when it happened, and i knew it, kind of.  the shadows that dampened the experience were his--the ones that took it away were his.  hence he may have been the only witness, taking me into the fringe of things and
seeing
for me.


the way they preserved their napkins from dinner to dinner.
and the slide
of the fingertips
up the thigh.
the sound of the macneil lehrer news hour.
how he would peel the oranges,
everything with its method.
getting trapped
against the car.
she would take me shopping for groceries.

preserve me from ritual,
god.
preserve me from
the golden hand
with its golden finger.

send your dark messenger--

Anthony, the third sound is yours.
And for me? EKRUM.  eat
of life's plenty.  bite down.
hold     and know.