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

ELIOT KATZ

With Body Another Year Older

Back on Nose Mountain with body another year older

& falling apart. Post-surgery knee is swollen & painful,

making it nearly impossible to walk. Left leg unable

to hold weight of the rest of me, back achy as usual,

but Vivian & the mountaintop beautiful as ever.

This year, a raven has been hobbling along the cabin road

ever since I arrived. Is it a symbol of Poe telling me

death is near? Or perhaps a career as a mystery writer

is near? Or maybe the raven carrying a miniature

recording device & unable to fly away so Cheney

can keep me bugged while I'm out of the country?

Luckily, doctors tell me the knee will heal, and sky

tells me the raven will soon find its circling flock. In long

term, I'm not sure how well this boreal forest will survive

climate heat stroke or pine beetle breakfasts, but hopefully

some of these elder trees will fare better after surgery than

I have. I'll type up more wish lists if I don't die first.