That Naked Birthday Cake Poem by RIC BASTASA

the best hour to think
is this

3 o'clock
when it is still dark

when finally dusk breaks
the famed virginity of
a morning
light

it is the perfect
time when your mind
is like glass
with frost

and you write your pains in bold letters
using your index finger

no one reads it
and then the mist outside
as it is still very cold
covers all the letters again

the way you like
the icing so sweet that your dear mother
once put
on your naked birthday cake