A Life Novel
Reading a few lines almost at random
turning pages by handfuls
in a paperback left on a counter
in a seedy public laundry
he decided to rewrite his life
change names to protect the illusion
From now on he was Edgar V.,
living in the fictional West Coast tourist town
of Two Heads, so named because it stood
behind a small harbor between two tall headlands
“Two Heads is better than none,” the locals said
when they thought about staying or leaving
before the next tsunami, abandoning homes
and businesses no one would buy
Edgar’s life would be a garden in a wheelbarrow
not planted yet, packaged and ready to move
if left in place long enough would plant itself
The bottom layer was bags of gravel
then bags of sand, soil and mulch
and an ample bag of seeds
he could’t recall what kinds
When he walked the streets of the town
the wheelbarrow would follow him
like a bonded dog whose tribe he was
Where to begin?, he thought
he had never known a beginning
that was more than a rain squall’s
When he walked, ground would spring up
to meet a foot-fall with no promise for the next
The Dog Star 
2 Responses to “A Life Novel”
I like this poem—unadorned and certain in its uncertainty.
Thanks, Bro!