OVER THE LIVE FIRE TRAINING
WHICH IS WHY I’M SHOUTING
AS AN EVOLVING SELF,
AS A CANADIAN,
AS SOMEONE WITH WILLFUL IGNORANCE OF THE BIBLE,
BUT I SHOUT-SPEAK FOR AND TO
THOSE WHO COULDN’T SKIP THEIR WAY OUT OF
THE TECHNIQUES OF WRESTLING,
THE MAWLING OF LACROSSE,
THE TEAM WORK OF INFANTRY,
OR ESCAPE FROM
AN OBJECT AS HARMLESS AS A
PLASTIC BAG, TOWEL, SADDLE OR BASEBALL CAP.

I SURVIVED A SIX-HOUR SWIM,
BLUEBOTTLE STINGS
IN A GLOVE-LIKE CONTAINER,
JETTISONING OXYGEN,
DISASSOCIATING ALL THE WAY UP
TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SURFACE
AND PAUSING A MOMENT TOO LONG
TO BRIEFLY REMIND YOU IN A SOFT VOICE
LIKE AN ANGEL WHISPERING THROUGH
YOUR PILLOWCASE FROM THE INSIDE
WHICH UNFORTUNATELY PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES
RENDER ME AM UNABLE TO DO AS PLANNED
BUT NEVERTHELESS

DO NOT FORGET THAT THE HUMAN RACE LIVED
FOR MANY, MANY YEARS WITHOUT
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SUNGLASSES
THE ODD APPEARANCE OF THE MISMATCHED SHOES
HAND-CARVED TURKEY SANDWICHES
BOILERS, SMOKE STACKS, BAG HOUSES, FURNACES,
STEAM AND CONDENSATE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS,
TOXICITY RATINGS FOR INDIVIDUAL CHEMICALS
PROTOCOLS FOR CONDITIONING COSTUME-REARED WHOOPING CRANES TO FOLLOW AN ULTRALIGHT PILOT
SHEET METAL DUCTS FOR ROUTING AIR CONDITIONING AND HEATING TO YOUR HOME.

KNOW THAT A DAY MAY COME WHEN THE COURAGE OF MEN FAILS.

KNOW THAT TO INTERPRET THE SCOPE IN THE NARROWEST POSSIBLE SENSE WOULD LEAVE A POINT OF UNKNOWN DIAMETER.

KNOW THAT THE DAY THAT NEVER HAPPENED CAN NEVER BE EXPRESSED THROUGH WORDS WITH 100% FIDELITY TO THE FACTS AS THEY WEREN’T.

KNOW THAT SOME “THEORY” ABOUT THE JUSTIFICATION OF THE KIND OF ACTION THAT IS CALLED “PUNISHMENT” UNDER THE RUBRIC OF “JUSTICE” JUST IS JUST THAT – A THEORY AND WHILE JUST IN THEORY AND JUST IN JUST PRACTICE OF THE THEORY, IT MAY NOT BE JUST IN ACTUALITY UNLESS IT JUST IS.

KNOW THAT THOSE WHO WRING THEIR ARMS LIKE DISHRAGS IN ORDER TO PROVE THEY ARE REALLY 90% WATER, 100% FAIL TO UNDERSTAND DISHRAGS.

AND KNOW THAT IF WE WERE NOTHING BUT THE LASERS
THAT COME OUT OF US
WE WOULD NOT BLEED
AS I AM BLEEDING NOW.