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Guilty of Dust


Frank Bidart

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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