a lone wolf of the forest but not alone
in the snow of a bitterly cold twilight of a january evening
always on the hunt for a tasty meal
not that I couldn’t fix one myself
chicken parmigiana my specialty
with some 1993 Elio Altare La Villa Langhe Rosso wine
I’ve never been in the inner circle
I’ve never been in the outer circle
I’ve always been content in my own personal orbit
self-quarantined by preference not mandated police state
helping myself to the finest quality scotch
guiltless self-indulgence the pleasures of the bachelor life
maybe a cup of tea, english of course
a crossword torn out of a newspaper I didn’t read
work on and rework some poems I’ve written
if I play my music too loud, it’s not too loud for me
I have no one to answer to thankfully
there’s no one around to ask questions
I enjoy the solitude of quiet evenings alone
of writing actual letters to actual friends of which I still do and have
quite comfortable and satisfied with the skin I'm in
those self-inflicted wounds long forgotten
put into a large self-addressed stamped envelope
mailed to an unknown location
with no forwarding address—no return to sender
have stamped out all remnants of self-doubt
I’m on a journey of self-determined destiny or at least
as self-determined as destiny will allow for of course
the quest that no soul could deny
I will take the fifth amendment and not self-incriminate myself
I shall invoke the statute of limitations
for any prior transgressions— although minor I can assure you
I will plead self-defense but I won't throw myself on the mercy of the court
the hell with all of you
I don’t live by your rules
I don't say yes sir to anybody
