words by CX Dillhunt

Dear Paul,

Let me tell you
How the lines break
How the stanzas break
How eventually even the words break.

Listen,
This morning when I saw
I was still here
I wondered you.

You know, you told me how,
How you know, how the lines end.
So, this morning, when I wondered,
I wondered you & where

Certainly,
You have a line or two for me
A way to make
A way to break

Some way to make me see
You as you see you. Oh,
Don't you know how I saw how you wanted
How I saw how the laughter

Wanted you
How I didn't want
You to see
Me laughing, I mean laughing, you know

At your silver tie
Jumping up and
Down
On your huge belly there,

You're sinking now into the old worn coffee shop davenport
Rising again
With your favorite black button down collar shirt
Puffing

Some dandruff, sprinkled
Wrinkles too, you saying more
to your coffee than to me:
I wanted you to appreciatethe solemnity of this occasion.

You make me laugh,
Laugh so hard I'm crying
Make me see you
Playing your death card.

Asking for
The plot next to the fence
Next to Dave and Mike. You
Don't laugh when I say, it puts me on the fence

So I say it's
First come, first serve, as you beg
For more music, just one more gig together. You say, please, reminding
You'll be gone come September, we beter hurry

We'll come visit I say
Laughing so I can barely hear myself:
Three brothers in a row, another on the fence. (Line break,
Stanza break, poem ends, right here.)

Bye for now, (this is the closing)

Let me tell you
How the lines break
How the stanzas break
How eventually even the words break.

Listen,
This morning when I saw
I was still here
I wondered you.