A bottle of bourbon and a handgun

are waiting for me

on top of my television set

They hypnotize me

Mesmerized

I can’t turn my eyes away

like a rabbit

frozen in the stare

of a patient snake

And I know

believe me, I know

It’s just a matter of time

before I finally convince myself

that the taste of metal and oil

would be better with bourbon

But still I hesitate

maybe for no other reason

than to leave the TV alone

but in the end

no matter how long I wait – I know

it really won’t make any difference at all

July 2005