THIRST

In an act of faith,
inside out
of the inequality of this planet,
I search the ground,
the trash bins,
the landfills....
for every rumpled paper with ink stains
to find another gem,
another "Paradise Lost" to be Gained.
I'm the "Idiot,"
"As You Like it,"
with "Grapes of Wrath."

Delightful to live
the life
of a pack-rat.

In the rodeo of volumes,
words have branded themselves
into my soul with flames,
and hopes, illusions,
or real disasters
bow at my beckoning
with solutions unheard of.

Their abundance
does not always quench
the thirst I feel.

Still, at times,
unexpectedly,
words are oxygen,
words are blood,
words are fire.
Words do justice to life,
justice that is not charity.