tannhauser gate in poetry

I’ve
seen things
you people wouldn’t believe
I’ve matched wits with Gary Gnu
I’ve gotten a standing ovation
dressed as Andre the Giant
at a sold-out burlesque show
I’ve run errands for the rich and the famous
I’ve couriered blood tests from clinics in the shotgun slums
I’ve seen my face
silent for a second
on late-night cable movie slots
more times than I can count
I’ve held an Oscar
shook hands with a senator
loved beautiful women
a few times for a little while
when I was really really lucky
in Rochester I got a concussion
in Brooklyn I studied under buskers
watched my colleagues arrested as protesters
in Venice Beach I got bombed
on shitty margaritas watching college basketball
with some of the best friends a man can have
in Utica I finally made my stand
took off my shirt and drew on myself
my stomach my heart my hands
committing to dreams over the folly of plans
saw the ghost of Elliott Smith
at a They Might Be Giants free show
had a palm reader tell me I’d succeed
eventually but how far off she didn’t know.

All these moments will be lost
in time if I don’t write them down
so it’s time to write
from town to town.