My/My/My
Count these number of things you call mine. This is the distance between
you and enlightenment.
—Swami Satchidananda.
(for Jenny) my pillow my shirt my house my supper my tooth my money my kite my job my bagel my spatula my blanket my arm my painting my fountain pen my desk my room my turn my book my hopelessness my wallet my print my sock my toe my stamp my introduction my luggage my plan my mistake my monkey my friend my penis my anger my expectation my pencil my pain my poster my fear my luggage tag my eyes my rainment my wash my opinion my fat my sleeplessness my love my basket my lunch my game my box my drawer my cup my longing my blotter my distraction my underpants my papers my wish my despair my erasure my plantation my candy my thoughtfulness my forbearance my gracelessness my courage my crying my hat my pocket my dirt my body my sex my scarf my solidarity my hope my spelling my smile my gaze my helplessness my quilt my reply my enemy my records my letter my gait my struggle my spirit my cut my thorn my demise my dream my plate my pit my hollow my blindness my clinging my projection my teacher my homework my housework my responsibility my guilt my relaxation my boat my crew my peanut butter my mill my man my hopelessness my fooling my sweet my terror my programme my judgement my disguise my distress my ladle my soup my mother my basin my pleat my cheddar my ownership my enmity my thought my encyclopedia my property my formula my infidelity my discretion my decision my delusion my deduction my derision my destitution my delinquincy my belt my eroica my junk my jealousy my remorse my strength my vision my world my fantasy my anger my determination my refusal my commitment my insanity my verbosity my austerity my androgeny my defiance my insistence my emastication my arousal my mystification my obscuraration my ejaculation my prostration my wontonness my cigarette my belief my uncertainty my cat my penetration my insight my obsolescence my sleeping bag my temptation my dedication my ball my court my kidney my razor my way my tissue my inadequacy my own my recorder my song my knack my perception my will my canoe my billiard ball my content my cassette my voice my sight my knowledge my bowels my beard my child my lethargy my nerve my incredulity my banana my ink my refrigerator my car my change my pupil my hair my tongue my tenderness my star my skill my persona my popularity my pickle my pinto my window my remembrance my munificance my country my fragility my visit my longevity my curtness my incomparability my sarcasm my sincerity my bed my bed table my table top my bar mitzvah my laughter my scorn my heartache my sandwich my call my loss my wit my charm my jest my undoing my practice my piano lesson my rage my toe my tattoo my turtledove my fly swatter my vest my notebook my pocketbook my sketchbook my repulsion my tea cup my taste my bag my handbag my bike my jay my roll my dear my milk my closet my slacks my hoist my ennui my analysis my language my fortune my vagueness my mint my limit my import my inference my affectation my affection my insolence my solitude my memory my bottle my history my ability my adobe my mission my likeness my misery my solipsism my omission my regression my opera my penicillin my resentment my future my understanding my apricots my holiday my umbrella my favorite my mood my side my seat my figment my contour my sky my rainbow my god my mask my reflection my blessing my light my time my epoxy my drum my hammer my grease my sand my story my top my past my mark my depth my garden my silence my speech my selfishness my hunger my allowance my letter my massage my derision my epoch my space my land my plentitude my perversity my poverty my transgression my exultation my lack my lustre my beatude my remission my encantation my white my pulse my creation my grace my object my sum my contumely my gloom my idea my chart my circumference my gravity my polarity my distance my eyelid my planting my separation my id my art my death my stand my preparation my heart my life my impression my grave my graciousness my marrow my heaven my appearance my olive oil my flake my self my porridge my mind my function my nakedness my illumination my freedom my charity my rose my pallour my pomp my pajamas my pity my posing my prayer my dawn my ocean my tide my underarm my spectacle my drifting my ground my body my angels my worship my dew my hobbey horse my customer my bread my faith my lies my care my restlessness my sunflower my weariness my age my existence my sense my backache my pie my thanks my numbness my sweeping my inspiration my token my pond my brillo my squint my pound my rock my critique my aplomb my portrait my view my rocking chair my sisters my demands my gumdrops my word
From Asylums, published in 1975 by Asylum's Press. Used by permission of the author.