To begin to begin means beginning to end

the lives lived through others,

the boundaries of love,

the self-graven image,

the down-town face,

the magazine body,

the standard-gauge line,

the next logical step,

the leadership of the lost,

the mantle of the Madonna,

the leg-irons of the country,

the glister of the city,

the waiting for Death,

the defining of Life,

the stroking of guilt,

the denial of pride

and, the first journey.

The second journey may begin at

the Stations of the Cross,

the point of no return,

the height of absurdity,

the depths of despair

or the horizon of friendship.

To begin is to print your own poetic licence

and to drive on whatever side of the road

you damn well please.