i should get out of bed,
i should spend the afternoon
peeling the stenciled papers
and coats of old paint
from the walls

i could use the extra space,
the bricks could use some air

then, sticking to the theme,
brush my teeth, clean my ears,
blow my nose, eyedrops, emetic,
enema, diuretic, a good bleeding,
a quick beating, four shots of gin,
martinis stripped down, a breather,
four more, five more, tears,
four more, morning

waking a little erased,
closer to empty, like my room