Chuck Perrin

today I walked around
filling my pockets with rocks
ballast to hold me on the ground
so I won’t get sucked out of this world
another body sent to the zombie parking lot
t h o u g h
my mouth has become a thunderstorm
& steady breaths have given way
to habitual moans & puffs of frustration
& my hair is a lit fuse
creeping toward my brain
& sounds seem to linger longer
in my ears before dissolving
& the moons on my fingernails
have almost set
& I rub my eyes
in the relentless darkness
asking over & over
who’s there?
but no one answers
& my wick is burning down
sending smoke rings
floating into the sky
forming clouds
that look like white handkerchiefs
b u t
this is no surrender
b e c a u s e
my blood is a river
raging thru my veins
carbonated by confidence
s t i l l r e s t l e s s
still seeking the thrill