And Now.... Poem by RIC BASTASA

and now...you like to go on
oration, a piece of a long peroration,

ladies & gentlemen,
good evening,

i am this kind of animal,
roped to thinking, i have this analytical attitude
this reflective mood,
i am a mirror
and i mirror my own mirror, i reflect my own light
to my own light,
smart ass, envying the feast of the pigs
on leftovers, the mudbaths and the
nudity of all sexes, and the
nonprohibited desires of all
creatures, nothing mindful really,
i am this now,
ready for this, and now... let me tell you

about this sickness, the numbness and emptiness
of my existence, like a crazy coconut
its meat not white, its juice like molten asphalt
its sound so neurotic
knock the shell and find the truth

and now.... what is the matter? what is the truth?
silence, let the kitten lick its hind legs and
clean itself from the smell
of the dog... and now, ... tell me, tell me,
the truth,
and now....where do you go really with that basket of fruits?
oh nice, is someone sick? is someone in the family
angry that now
and now.. you want to please and be pleasing?

and now....everything is changed
attitudes about peers and
peeling the pear, , , , , and now...

oh, you are so circuitous,
be direct and candid...

you want to quit
and you are so silent.