i wld say that many

i wld say that many

how many ball-point pent-up starts
does it take to screw up a tulip bulb?
i dont know, but countless
took turns, loosing the
bulb in my
head went
dim.

once i was a tulip a woman purchased from
a man who also tuned pianos, and tended to
a whiskey addiction. 

that woman she purchased me for a lover (would-be)
but left me on the cafe table. a light bent through
the iron so wrought that chair legs became long
as pants sailors wear when they come to, sure
of nothing, brave nonetheless, no less than
i would say that many.