Ted Getzel Works

PREPROCESS

Had been reading Wystan Hugh

September 1, 1939 in the deranged comfort

Of my dive home

Books, books and more books

Books to the right of me

Books to the left of me

Books before and behind me

A veritable valley of volumes

Containing the thoughts of the living and dead

And having finished for the moment

With working with Wystan Hugh

The awesome Auden

And his words steeped in spirits

I had yearning for William Butler

Collected works

One of my favorites among the multitude

Usually right at hand but suddenly not

In his place of honor on the top shelf

Of the white wicker nightstand by my rumpled bed

Nor on the floor beside the stand

Or the nearby packing crates

Or the shelf opposite

Or the table behind

Or the floor between the bed and the wall

Or in the case at the foot of the bed

And now I am on my hands and knees

Calling WB! WB! WB! As I peer under the bed

WB! WB! As I peruse piles stacks cartons and cases

WB! WB! I call but he doesn’t answer

I sit at my desk emotionally spent

My potential inspiration of the moment

Missing in inaction

Glance to my right

And there beneath a pile of unopened envelopes

On the third shelf of the second inbox complex

Next to the shiny, shiny printer is William Butler

Looking none the worse for wear

And now Easter will come after September

And 1916 will come after 1939

And who knows what will come after that