Happy Valentine's Day

Well, it's Valentine's Day, and I'm back in Boulder, sitting here with my computer, at a friend's house, where I am residing temporarily, lonely, lonely, lonely. It's snowing outside. It's been snowing since I returned on Sunday, more or less. I feel like listening to Elliot Smith and drinking a glass of red wine, perhaps splattering some ink into my sketchbook.

Anway, my Valentine's gift to you, my beautiful readers, is a short poem I wrote a couple weeks ago while I was in Austin after reading many many poems out of Charles Bukowski's Love is a Dog from Hell, which my friend recommended to me. I think I'll just call it "Fan the Flame". Here 'tis...

If I had a woman
with a torch in her hand,
I would never be afraid
of the dark.

Instead,
I would crave it.

If she was a witch
with fire in her eyes,
I would never be afraid
of the moon.

Instead,
I would study it.

If she was invisible
and burned only in my heart,
I would never be afraid
of the fire in my own eyes.

Instead,
I would fan the flame.