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Frank Bidart

Guilty of Dust

up or down from the infinite C E N T E R
B R I M M I N G at the winking rim of time
 
the voice in my head said
 
LOVE IS THE DISTANCE
BETWEEN YOU AND WHAT YOU LOVE
 
WHAT YOU LOVE IS YOUR FATE
 
          *
 
then I saw the parade of my loves
 
those PERFORMERS comics actors singers
 
forgetful of my very self so often I
desired to die to myself to live in them
 
then my PARENTS my FRIENDS the drained
SPECTRES once filled with my baffled infatuations
 
love and guilt and fury and
sweetness for whom
 
nail spirit yearning to the earth
 
          *
 
then the voice in my head said
 
WHETHER YOU LOVE WHAT YOU LOVE
 
OR LIVE IN DIVIDED CEASELESS
REVOLT AGAINST IT
 
WHAT YOU LOVE IS YOUR FATE
 
                           1984

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