I Have To... Poem by RIC BASTASA

i have to write
without end, since i
really have to, something
to hold on, to stick upon,
to touch, as though words
are bodies, and sighs,
and explosions of the the
raptures of my soul.

i have to for i have no
choice, lest i find myself
without a coat to warm
myself, lest i drift into
the meaningless ocean
without the promise of
an island.

i have to because i must,
what choice do i have anyway?
i may die but i cannot die.
i may live but it is hard.
i may forget and so i must
write to recall
and refresh myself about
the baths of the spirit
in the river of divinity.