Mercury Rising

like an elephant i am
with my face
in my trunk & i’m digging
through junk digging in the dirt

i’m just trying to find
all i left behind at
the end of the beginning
when i gave it
all away shook hands with
the devil in exchange for some brains

i had
mud on my hands
feet in the water
head in the clouds
stars in the gutter
blood on my hands
feet in the water
moon in the sky
hands in the fire

now i can’t
walk the path too busy reading
the map lost in a head full of
dust & my blood turned to rust
& the moon’s just a moon
just a rock just a lump

so i’m worming
through the mud sniffing up the buried
treasure remembering & relearning to
forget & to get all
sugared & starred
tasting wind &
snow & sweat grass stains on
my knees rain
in my shoes buzzing
in my hands blood & laughter &
dancing chewing wood into pulp warping time
drinking gulps of soda
devouring scouring my
head clean to be brilliantly stupid

i’ve got
mud on my hands
feet in the water
head in the clouds
stars in the gutter
blood on my hands
feet in the water
moon in the sky
hands in the fire