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Michael Crippen
I Barely Escaped with My Life
I doused myself with gasoline
—the first parts to burn were my eyes and hair—
and with a minute hand signal
the air and water left me.
My shirt became a zeppelin,
filled with spirit and bone,
and my teeth marched away, unheeded.
The fumes rose, and I was left to sleep.
I slept until the earth turned again.
untitled
punctuation is important in this life
pause
because it ties sentences
and schedules break
and who knows
(really)
may even end relationships
period
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