either

the waters mixed with bitters   

or 

the water’s mixed with bitters

 

if waters, 

   

a river in my hometown.

​

if water’s,

 

he smiles and hands you a highball in california.

​

​

stay with me.

 

if a river in my hometown —

​

but there’s no such town.

       

even if he smiles,

 

no town suggests the river, as well, does not exist.

 

either stay with me =

 

the author distrusts his ability to speak clearly about the matter we’re now discussing.

 

or 

 

the author wishes he could be the one smiling handing you a highball

(in california).

 

if there’s no such town,

 

the stones can return to their rightful place.    

 

rightful place motions toward a rightful time,

 

irreverent of schrödinger’s river.

 

rightful time :

 

a) once, the stones, their rightful place

b) the hour at which, the stones, their rightful place

 

these might be the same.

 

either i’m corny, no word in this language of mine meaning both for and of,

 

or the deer could make something for me yet.

 

corn, melodrama, 

 

things choices made earlier can no longer change.

 

either

 

melodrama: for a stand-in for of

 

or

 

corn: as right a maze as any, to shake these troubles of mine.

 

 

but wouldn’t mine still be the trouble? what will take more than a drink, a smile. 

 

than all of california, which never was my home.

 

borderless the places for a river that isn’t.

 

& none of what is happening, that wasn’t happening already.