poetry


previous
next

STEVE BENSON

AFTER ALL

               After all that I was always on my own 
															                          After all that I was always on my own 
															And I all ways I thought were my own 
															                          And I always I thought were my own 
															And after all my ways of thought were on their own 
															And after all my ways of thought were on their own wavelength 
															Wavelength the ways my the would own 
															                        My ways of thought wrought their own 
															My ways of thinking and after all I went 
															                        My ways of thought and after all I went 
															I went after all the waves my wallowed 
															               I went after all the ways my thought wanted to go 
															I wanted my to go the ways meant to be 
															                I wanted to go the ways my thought went to me 
															I wondered how my went 
															         I wondered how long my thought went away from me 
															I wandered of howling mentioned to me 
															I wandered off how long my thought meant something 
               
               I washed off the thought 
															                                         I walked off to think 
															I wanted my thoroughness left 
															                                         I wanted my thought 
															I walked from thought to thought 
															                           I walked off from my own thoughts 
															I went watched my thoughts take them away 
															                   I went away wherever my thoughts took me 
															I watched my own thinking bewitch my afterthoughts 
															          I watched my own thinking bewitch my afterthoughts 
															After my thought created a spelling 
															                           After my thoughts craved a spell ring 
															And then as they did I creation wrings spell it 
															             And after all that I made what I meant to spiel out 
															I said then they reasoned with the will against a hypnosis 
														As if then they were reckoning the will against a hypnotic 
               I sounded that realization whether then was a knot 
									 	I sounded out that which they realized whether they decided to
               I round as that reality which was not there 
															I rounded the corner and realized what I wanted was not there 
															Eye around that the stars 
											I am around the eye was round the eye was around as that 
                                      in the starry sky between them 													
									 					Even as they turned the stars 
															Eyes cast around the stars even as they were burning in the sky 
															Eventually return of the stars 
															                                         Eventually they returned 
															The rest of start of the conclusion I had realized
           The start of the whole thing was the same conclusion I had reached  
															I remained rested and separate from the terminal authority 
															         I remained rested and separate from the terminal authority 
															Remnants of that timeless estuary backed up into the tepid bay 
															     Remnants of that timeless estuary backed up into the tepid bay 
															Reminder: that tempest is rotting out your temperate ozone 
															          Reminder that tempest is rotting out your tested zone 
															Recognize mind as which they are you do overdone 
															                           Remind as what you can do over done 
															Tempter to a mental recognization 
															                           Temper your mind into a realization 
															Become as you want attempted to hide what you know 
															                    Become as you will an effort to conceal 
															Better to become wherever you went to make a weapon definite 
															     Better to beckon wherever you went to make a weapon definite 
															Beside the emblem where you let a red jacket an ending definitely 
															     Beside the emblem where you left a red coat an ending defined 
															Be there sided with what you wore 
															     The coming there where you made a side where you wore were 
															There was another side among them 
															                         There was one another to be elided among 
															Tempted there off the sides the mention of an effort 
															      In an attempt to tear out the sides they made an emblem 
															Teflon coated the enterprise they mean to 
															                  Teflon coated the enterprise they meant to . . .  
															I am around the eye was round the eye was around as that 
												They meant to make it very definite and so it couldn’t be changed afterwards, 
															you know it never worked, and certainly not under those circumstances

                         [October 10, 2003, Scarab Club, Detroit, Michigan]