First
Begin badly. Bring every thing forth— alive, dying:

wormy apple, stale bread, fresh flesh, cheap vodka.

These early, windy hours leave their marks.

             Plant frail hopes.

             Water.
Third
Later, alone: going about bends while

skies flash—white, black,

white black white. Sheer cliff. Lands shift, slide. Light gilds.

             Drive. Drive.
Fifth
Ready? Begin again, lying lower.

Write facts: words about facts,

argue these often, until truth bends,

             falls

             apart.
Sixth
Words weigh grams, morse coded,

spell ‘maybe’, spell ‘might’.

Pitch black empty pages, every night. Erase. Blame no-one.

             Touch ‘print’.
Ninth
Thirst. Drive. Ardor. Yearn.

First. Knife. Adore. Learn.

Karst. Swive. Adorn. Spurn.

Worst. Alive. Scorn. Churn.

(Other words taken,

             added).
Tenth
First light. Blink. Start again.