the last time
i saw you
on your way
to dying

you were
all scheduled
as if going
on a long trip

preparing to
be totally
swept away

with some idea
how imminent
yet not knowing
exactly when

i said i'd
be back in
two days but
i left town

you gentle
a bit distracted
happy and in
constant pain

your face
nearly hairless
sharp and focused

inside with a
burning intensity
your whole body

never to see you
to not see you
after the big change

and laugh about
farts pretty girls
poetry or endings

i said i'd
be back in
two days but
i left town

your living room
the positions
of the 2 side tables

computer and books
recliner papers
fill up my imagination

just like pretty girls
fart jokes poetry and
endings

you really knowing
me just barely
comprehending
you letting go

for latif

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Orgyen Menla Medicine Buddha

OM AH HUM VAJRA GURU PEMA TO TRENG TSAL BHEKANZE RADZA SARWA SIDDHI PALA HUM AH