young still - he thinks about that a lot,

wonders how his face will look when he

is older, whether he would recognize

himself - wonders now if he'll get that far, even,

every time he wakens to the watch tick at

midnight he feels it, toeing the sudden edge

the everything falling the warm redness

sliding out regretfully, nothing left

& so he leans over the steering wheel & prepares himself

or closes the watch inside the paperback faulkner

by his bedside & can no longer hear the ticking.