His first words set the stage
Approach the audience
Share our breath
The molecules that have been circulating for millennia
Leonardo, Atilla
Christ on the cross on the cross on the cross
(his favorite position)
Buddha
(unnamed but present)
Alive in us
Breathe on me
on my hand
on my hip
on my shoulder
on my butt
Breath fully exhaled
Look in my eyes
Raise the curtain around my heart
Pause a moment
In the gap before the next breath starts
Connect with another man
Thank you.
As each breath turns the stage of the world
as each moment brings the next into existence
One moment a carpenter
Building beds
The sleep queen of
New!
York!
City!
Creating the platform
for people to perform
for people to join in a union of the bodies
any joining is holy
is magic
is the melding of being
the welding of being
the being of being
The nex moment
the lover
the fuck
fuck
fucker
Ahhhhhhhh
the union of forces
leaps the gap
be
each breath
in
out
in
out
in
out
exchanging molecules
exchanging viruses
exchanging lives
exchanging vows
changing lives
forming lives
new lives
my life
each breath
pause in the action
time to reflect
time to absorb
time to hear
time to see
time to be
each breath
suspended in the gap
hearing
each
word
as
a
flow
of
air
as
a
flow
of
energy
as
a
statement
of
the
spirit
each
nerve
ending
quivering
in
anticipation
of
the
next
moment
no expectation
can be trusted
can be trusted
can be trusted trusted trusted
trust only change
ride the waves of our own anxiety
feel the crest
feel the trough
feel the spray on skin
a body
tossed
tumbled
falling
no air
no breath
panic
feel
the force of the water
the pull of the water
the lack of breath
the passing of time
the stillness in the chaos
the gap in the breath
for seconds
and seconds
and seconds
and seconds
and seconds
no second breath
time to
wake the spirit
still the mind
find the surface
break the surface
end the moment
catch a breath
pause in the flow of words
stop and feel
the tips of my fingers resting on the keys
waiting
cock my head
listen to the buzz of fans
think about his perfect body
and his perfect body
and his
and his
and mine
sitting here
still asleep from the night
the pleasure of watching
of listening
of being taken into another's world
still rolling across the tides of my mind
a late night call for help
the phone cord stretched from kitchen to bedroom
stretched across my bed
pulling across my chin
pulling our minds together
to work through a problem
a work problem
naked in the night
listening
answering
ear to mouth
mouth to ear
imagining him
touching my nipples
feeling them firm
crossing the boundary
my live body
his live body
a fantasy moment
woven through the work which drove the call
silently recognized
unacknowledged
thank you
one breath
one breath
different from any other
time passes
the sky lightens
a bird sings
a bus roars
green upon green upon green
of house plants, trees and lawn
looking out my window
Saturday morning stillness
a community dispersed after a night together
a hunger looking for sustenance
for breakfast
to break the fast
and recognize the sacred
each breath
an ending
a beginning
a birth
a death
life
each breath
breathe
-- Larry Wolf (1995)
[Posted 2025]