At The Last Minute

At The Last Minute

At the last minute
the story gets written
everything falls into place-

At the last minute
the revolution begins
the barricades are erected
the troops and tanks are sent in
at the last minute-

At the last minute
we find a scape-goat
for all the wrong we have done-

At the last minute
a few dollars arrive
from a friend or a distant relative
to pay the rent to buy some food and cigarettes
to have a late supper at a shabby quaint little diner-

At the last minute
giving up all hope
as you freeze in the snow and rain
the bus arrives delivering you to work -

At the last minute
telling me of your love affair
leaving me for another -

At the last minute
leaving a bar drunk at 3am
staggering along the streets
returning to this dismal little room
waiting for the last minute to burn itself out-

At the last minute
the phone rings
or there is a knock on the door
or a new poem falls onto the blank page
as I hold the knife over my wrist-

At the last minute
just before dawn
a friend and I go for a walk
along the waterfront smoking a joint
talking about writing and women
having made it through another night-

At the last minute
the woman of my dreams with Raven-Black hair
who roams the streets at night comes to my door
her eyes sparkle in the moonlight
saving me from despair
at the last minute-


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