The Closest to Life in Six Lifetimes
by William Pedlow
This is the closest to life in six lifetimes.
right now, and don’t ruin it for me.
I like the way old things sound
when they are dying:
things deep in caves
lost things
old instruments broken systems
covered with dust
fascination is no excuse, yes?
but stealing is permissible,
when a thing is so old
recycling, stealing,
just letting it all out with no cause or
like not making a whole big thing out of it,
in someone else’s voice
all of it is okay.
Have you ever spent so long in a hot shower
that you think you’re gonna die in there
like you just forgot you were there at all:
you need to be careful, all the time,
I loved a man who choked on a chicken bone
laughing
About the Author
William Pedlow is a poet, novelist, and Park Avenue Doorman. He writes poems in his head while operating an extravagant 100 year-old Otis elevator. His work has been featured in Cathexis Northwest Press and Prometheus Dreaming. You can find him on Instagram @w.pedlow