H e a r t S o n s & H e a r t D a u g h t e r s of A l l e n G i n s b e r g

N a p a l m H e a l t h S p a : R e p o r t 2 0 1 4 : A r c h i v e s E d i t i o n

BOB HOLMAN

This Closeness Thing

I Don’t Know About This Closeness Thing

I do.

Wanna come over?

I’ll tell you about it

I Don’t Know About This Closeness Thing

Take it from me

No one does

Let’s take off our clothes

And dance

I Don’t Know About This Closeness Thing

You don’t?

Would you like to talk

About it?

I Don’t Know About This Closeness Thing

I don’t know about this closeness thing either!

I’m coming right over

Such an astonishing coincidence

We must take advantage of the moment

I Don’t Know About This Closeness Thing

Who does?

I once met someone who did.

Suicide. Closer to God.

I Don’t Know About This Closeness Thing

The question is

What does this

Closeness thing

Know about you?

I Don’t Know About This Closeness Thing

I’m on my way over right now!

We need to talk about this closeness thing

I Don’t Know About This Closeness Thing

It’s not that you don’t know about this closeness thing

It’s that something is holding you

Back from knowing about it

Is there anything in your childhood...?

I Don’t Know About This Closeness Thing

I’m impressed

You can think so clearly

With your pussy in my mouth

I Don’t Know About This Closeness Thing

No one does

That’s why words were invented

And sex, so we could shut up

I Don’t Know About This Closeness Thing

We could talk about it

We are 1,000s of miles apart

I Don’t Know About This Closeness Thing

This closeness thing

Knows a lot about you

I Don’t Know About This Closeness Thing

Really?

I Don’t Know About This Closeness Thing

I’m sorry, what did you say?

I can’t hear you

Could you come a little closer?

I Don’t Know About This Closeness Thing

You seem to be very close

To something here

I Don’t Know About This Closeness Thing

I don’t either

Let’s fuck

I Don’t Know About This Closeness Thing

I’d really like to talk

About this closeness thing

But my phone card will run

Out in four minutes

I Don’t Know About This Closeness Thing

The key word is “about”

There’s something about “about”

What “about” it?

“It” is also a problem

I also don’t know “about” “it”

I Don’t Know About This Closeness Thing

It all depends what you mean by closeness

What do you mean by closeness?

I Don’t Know About This Closeness Thing

Too bad

Everyone else does

Except me

Want to get together?

I Don’t Know About This Closeness Thing

What closeness thing?

I Don’t Know About This Closeness Thing

There’s no such thing

As a closeness thing

[Originally published in NHS 2013, http://www.poetspath.com/napalm/_special_edition_nhs_2013/.]