I would very much like to be

Bukowski

Old and

All too aware

Hunched, miserable,

Alive.

I would very much like to be

That 5 year old I saw in the Art Institute

Writhing in his mother's lap with boredom,

Not caring that his shirt was pulled up to his armpits because the bench he lay on was

Cool

I would very much like to be

My lover's cat

Haughty and

Also old,

Tolerant of our human nature,

Looking on with boredom and acceptance as we moan

I would very much enjoy being,

Above all,

A fish.

Tiny, but received

When it swims against the hide of a whale

Darting colorfully,

Blissfully forgetting

That it is once again

Hungry

Because as much as I would like not to,

I remember

I have always been a slave to

My appetite