1

The Life I Would Lead

Every other day I write,
every other day go out
in my wheelchair up Telegraph
for ham and cheese croissants,
hot chocolate,
at Cafe Bottega,
noisy with KKHI squonking Scriabin
through gritty speakers
over thunderstorms of talk.
On campus,
I gaze at pretty students,
talk with old professors,
poke about the seismology lab,
take in the noon rally at Sproul.
Heading home, I xerox my poems,
watch my reflection slip by
in the windows of Moe's,
wonder what ever happened to Holy Hubert.

2

The Life He Led

Right lung completely useless,
muscles tight as piano strings,
nerves dead since childhood,
whole ganglias of them,
bones fragile as grandma's china,
spine an upside down question mark,
critical deficiencies of protein, iron, potassium,
heart gnarled,
its walls thick as bark from an old oak.
Miracle he lasted as long as he did.

3

The Life beyond All Reason

The men from the bar
pull my leather miniskirt down,
I trip, fall facedown on the bed.
Giggling, I screech "It's stuck!
The mini's stuck around my knees!"
Laughing at my mock terror,
one knives my mini off,
then rips off my sweat-hot panties.
I moan while numero dos,
Pete, I think's his name,
slaps my face,
throws off my wig,
calls me bitch.
Feeling the third man's weight on me,
I know I am loved.