[Throwing his life away,]
Throwing his life away,
He picks at and smells it.
Done up. When did I do this up?
I date its death to the time someone
Said something.
Back then.
Everything else, all striving, making,
Marrying, error,
Is this old bird.
Pah! He throws it.
As the long string lengthens
Out of his hand,
It begins unwinding
The ligaments of his hand.
Copyright Credit: Josephine Miles, “[Throwing his life away,]” from Kinds of Affection. Copyright © 1967 by Josephine Miles. Reprinted by permission of Wesleyan University Press.
Source: Kinds of Affection (Wesleyan University Press, 1967)