17 & 18) That Was Another Patrick Lawler

Remember the Patrick Lawler
who thought he was God's gift
to women? Remember how the women
always hoped he left behind the receipt?

Remember the Patrick Lawler
who couldn't tell the difference
between the body and the spirit?

"There are just too many intangible
walls," he'd say. And his hands
would almost slip through them.

Remember the Patrick Lawler
who was allergic to words?
He had a rash all over his mouth,
sores on his fingers.

Remember the Patrick Lawler
who would send out thank you notes after sex?

Remember the Patrick Lawler
who felt he was saying so many
worthwhile things
he hired a stenographer?

"Notice how gravity,"
the stenographer would write,
keeps these words from floating
too far off the page."

Remember the Patrick Lawler,
the street performer--
the claustrophobic mime.

Every time he created
one of those mime boxes
with his hands sliding
over the invisible walls,
he'd have a panic attack.

Most of the Patrick Lawler's are decoys.
The stenographer can never
get used to the silence.

---Patrick Lawler