Part/Whole

i approached the poem

slowly and cautiously

from the left

using what i

assumed to be

the relative safety

of the margin

to my advantage

i gazed upon

the words as they flowed

both into

and about me

through me

and around me

both with

and against me

i marvelled

at their complexity

wallowed

in their simplicity

i was lifted

to heights

and flung

to the floor

and

i knew

that i was caught

i knew

i had become

and

i knew

there's no getting

out of this

alive

and now

i am bound

in part

and in whole

to every splinter of separation

every possible preparation

in part

in whole

to every alien aggravation

every ad libbed approximation

in part

in whole

to every splintered slow cessation

and every class ceiling culmination

in part

in whole

to every subtle sublime situation

every passing fancy and/or fixation

in part

in whole

every speculative best guessed summation

every fleeting fevered fascination

in part

and

in whole

i am the poem