Orange Paper 4:30 am

we were going to the sea
me and my mind?
we saw J laying on a plastic bench
a gusty ferry deck
I'd seen this as a photo before
he had a small Italian sister
who I had just gotten to know

later I was on a walk
down Via Marisol
I picked up one of those
basic, poison berries
and ate it

I had to babysit at 1 pm
but I was on a time strike
so there was no way to know
if I'd be late

I gagged and spit the berry
onto the sidewalk
now transformed into
basically, tar

was I with my mind or
was I my mind?

later
I threw some kind of linen
onto my mom's big brass bed
and inspected the duvet crumbs
for bugs

was my mom my mind?

I woke up with a scratchy throat
(poison berry)