belt wrapped around arm
tight then tighter,
tang in air
cocaine and water
add the heroin to the cooker
heroin and fire
draw up the liquid magic
through the cotton
into the syringe:
"do me first- you miss when
you go first"

find the vein, slap, discard
"it’s a roller"- go to hand
"here we go"
needle pierces deep in vein
red blood flags up syringe
"we’re in"
immediate copper tang
back of throat,
"boot me"
make it last
in/out blood
in/out blood
sweet blood and sweet poison mingle.
"now ram it home, yes please"
embrace
the icy heartpounding "little death"
that coke brings
breathless
ears ring
cocaine singing in my veins,
until the velvet
 dark
  melting
 throb
of heroin kicks in.

back in the womb,
all desires evaporate
rocking in the womb
suckling the sweet shadow the
liquid death in veins
-peace for a time-
until warm belly
grows cold and cramps.
the ruler of the cathedral
becomes a prisoner in the cathedral,
 as the soft, broken sacrament decays -

it’s over.

"time to hit the streets again."

to search for the cause of the
suffering it brings,
to boot it up again.