#6

"wrds of counsl (frm the dctr who only spks whn spkn to)"

i.
     first off    levity is impossible—
                       you weigh 138 pounds
     you            who lived sixty-
                    one years before Alzheimer's. good
                    they didn't name it after you.
     (sorry)       we haven't met:
                     i am the doctor who only speaks
                               when spoken to.
                    i came in the white room on
                    Monday + words fell out yr mouth.
                    "life was a fugue," i said
                              to no one in particular.

ii.
                    nurse, nurse!
                    your precondition is a tonic;
                               you look lovely.
                    i met you on a plane.
                    you told me cirrhosis was like
                    cirrus clouds
                                        in a terminal
                     known for flights.

iii.
     where's    self-medicated anesthesiologist?
                    -right.

     listen,       drink whenever you want—just
                    build up strength to
                    duck under the train before
                               god + the nightmare crew
                                   have you
                               eviscerated.