Guilty of Dust by Frank Bidart

Guilty of Dust

 

up or down from the infinite C E N T E R

B R I M M I N G at the winking rim of time

 

the voice in my head said

 

LOVE IS THE DISTANCE

BETWEEN YOU AND WHAT YOU LOVE

WHAT YOU LOVE IS YOUR FATE

 

           -

 

then I saw the parade of my loves

 

those PERFORMERS comics actors singers

 

forgetful of my very self so often I

desired to die to myself to live in them

 

then my PARENTS my FRIENDS the drained

SPECTRES once filled with my baffled infatuations

 

love and guilt and fury and

sweetness for whom

 

nail spirit yearning to the earth

 

           -

 

then the voice in my head said

 

WHETHER YOU LOVE WHAT YOU LOVE

 

OR LIVE IN DIVIDED CEASELESS

REVOLT AGAINST IT

 

WHAT YOU LOVE IS YOUR FATE