Poem - The Patient 1 & 2

1.

he can see the past in mirrors
so he avoids looking into them

he says i am not a voyeur by the way
i see in that reflected chrome on the desk
sometimes your secretary has sex
in here when you are out

remember: nothing is as it seems
he smiles at me sadly

he documents his movements precisely
so his future self will rescue him
with a quantum ladder

yes he says  multidimensional aliens that look
like flowing paint and swatches of light
are coming to destroy the earth 
in 2022


2.

he carries a small tablet sized
erasable white board
and a black dry erase marker
when we go walking to get some air

i put a string on the marker
so i don't drop it
he says

whenever we see a news van
or security camera he quickly
writes the date, time and a message
to his future self

7.17.14 AM PST
40.7127° N, 74.0059° W
FOR GODS SAKE JOHN MARKEN SHIPLEY THIS IS 
JOHN MARKEN SHIPLEY 47 YEARS OLD NOW
BORN JULY 11 1967
37.3000° N, 120.4833° W

i wish i could calculate this
in relation to the galactic center
he muses with a sad smile
possibly someday it would help

i'm like finding me
in a quantum haystack 
but i know i promised to keep
looking he assures me

i want to ask him
how do you know you'd keep
looking?
but i refrain