brother

compatriot
of old

images
of you

in chords
of led zeppelin

& that zeitgeist
that was

so
in front of
our face

we just thought
"cool, now"


you & i
had the same eyes
and eyehooks

& we spoke in the same
timbre

if in different octaves

& i remember:
those blues possessed
you

it made you dance
the cynic's dance


you were a long-haired
caveman in levi's

& the steel strings
of the british
invasion

wiped you
out, sailed you
straight out to sea


you were high
before you
even started

but when
you started...

you never stopped


it has been a century
since ive known you

you are an artifact
in 1970s technicolor

on a tube-TV recollection
in my mind

with the harps
of led zeppelin

being so
goddamn
maudlin:


it's no wonder
i love you.

--------------------------
* dedicated to smj