IT TAKES A LOT OF GUTS TO BE A POET

and i wasn't born with them -

but i've pilfered them from the graves

of walt whitman and thomas james

i've snorted the ashes of allen ginsberg

and buried peter orlovsky beneath a pile of dirt

i've resurrected richard brautigan

in a half-mad translucent ceremony

and summoned shakespeare

to read the last rites.

so if i've offended any of my favorites -

i apologize

in a language you'll never hear

and a time you'll never see

and i'll tell you all in person when i see you,

my best friends i've never met.