we talked about snakes and kundalini
i didn't understand it all
he's reading the bhagavad gita in sanskrit
i said i love snakes my
mind remembering when i pulled one
from a riverbank by the tail
and was bit
and how the thug with me beat it
and i was bit
we talked of death, 
how his dog died and talked 
to him of life, was there, 
in his right side, above the hip,
i saw his dog in his side 
and i saw the snake turn to mud,
to a shape 
sinuous life
turned to mud collage felt 
how the real becomes abstract
retains the ghost shape
of the real
and the skin 
tingles
i said how my tail bone hurt
wondered if kundalini would 
release the snake my spine
he said you have to be careful
what travels up to your mind
i thought he exaggerated
i thought it was true 
we didn't conclude 
just trailed off
i touched his shoulder
he was looking 
distracted again
as he was moments 
before by me

i don't like to conclude either
like the dogs don't say goodbye
just good boy good girl 
i'll be back, i'll be back
i'll be back

and it's true 
the last time i saw him
he wasn't there, just manifold
self portraits that to me
looked like me
and now i see him
like him too
i do