Unwinding in a cavernous bodega he suddenly

    Burst out：——Barman， these tumblers empty themselves

    And yet I persist； I am wedged in the giant eye

    Of an invisible needle. Walking through doors

    Or into them， listening to anecdotes² or myself spinning

    A yarn³， I realize my doom⁴ is never to forget

    My lost bearings. In medias res we begin

    And end： I was born， and then my body unfurled

    As if to illustrate⁵ a few tiny but effective words

    But——oh my oh my——avaunt. I peered

    Forth⁶， stupefied， from the bushes as the sun set

    Behind distant hills. A pair of hungry owls⁷

    Saluted⁸ the arrival of webby darkness； the dew

    Descended⁹ upon the creeping ferns. At first

    My sticky blood refused to flow， gathering¹⁰ instead

    In wax-like drops and pools； mixed with water and a dram

    Of colourless alcohol it thinned and reluctantly

    Ebbed¹¹ away. I lay emptied as a fallen

    Leaf until startled awake by a blinding flash

    Of dry lightning， and the onset¹² of this terrible thirst.