A POEM FOR PETER HAYES COYOTE

It was good to see you, man
not like cool great good
more like real, soul good

Well, I feel like hell:
I'm sure you do too sometimes

Looks like
we put our perfectly good quarter
in the universe machine:
expecting a steak
a career
or a woman
or just a beer and a rock'n roll song

and
as happens now and then
it just took our quarter
with no explanation:
no malice,
no love
no advice
nothing

fuck, eh man?

That's how it is;
but you know that
you always did actually,
people just know things
in different ways

The world isn't broken:
it's still beautiful
and I see that very clearly
just now,
I see it in you
and in the early spring sun
and the yellow daffodils
by the side of the road

But I've got about one quarter left;
I hope somebody's fixing the machine
in time for at least
one of us

stay wily