//

by Edward Jesse Capobianco

listen to my voice. listen
to the sound of my voice.
I am going to count to ten.                                                                     
listen to my voice—the sound.

one//
you find yourself walking.
you are walking on a night
road. you are footstepping.                                          
you are footstepwalking.

two//
there is no wind and
there is no wind and the trees
are still. you are walking on a
night road.

three//
you are walking alone
footstepwalking on dark
pavement, alone
on a dark two lane road.

four//
you look, feet to stars,
as you walk footstepfootstep
there are no streetlights over you.
there are streetlights far ahead.

five//
now you find yourself melting
into smoke. listen to me. you
fade through the blackbeetlemetal
of a rushing car. of the front of a car.

six//
now you are solid and your
knees bend. your knees are
solid and bending. you find yourself
seated in a rushing car.

seven//
your feet fly over street.
your feet are on pedals,
on carpet, on metal, on
flyingoverstreet.

eight//
the wind burns your wet
teeth. the roadthroughtrees
wind burning. your wet teeth
hit. a dark wind from driving

nine//
far ahead and forever
ahead lights go out. streetlights
go out blinkout out and other lights
one by one manybymany darkening.

ten//
huge black pines start sprouting up
around you, everywhere, roots splitting road,
your feet still. trees covering the earth
at the speed of lightsblinkout.

//
trees on your arm sprouting out skin brush
them off trees through the speeding car floor
look left a massive pine black lightless
in the passenger seat staring

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