at 12
the top tier
of your bookshelf
was too tall
I busied myself
with soldiers and cars

at 15
I finally reached
those volumes
angelou.cummings.frost
though the subject
was to abstract
for me to comprehend

at 18
grasping at understanding
I tried to write my own
reflecting the ideas
in the text
but not of my own life

now 23
a trip to city lights
a visit with ginsberg
corso.burroughs.kerouac
stoked a new fire

but when I turn
to the writings at hand
I am no less mystified
in the process of their
creation