From one Breath to the Next

I take pride in knowing
a lyric for any moment
everything about comedians
arcane, obscure, Torah facts:

Strawberries are the only fruit
with their seeds on the outside
Four is the only number that is
spelled by it's own number of letters

Sometimes, like now, I answer yes
to Ian Anderson, who asked teen me
if I "ever get the feeling that the story's
too damn real and in the present tense."

And as I yearn for companionship
I recall what Dick Smothers said
about Steve Martin, that "he's so quiet
that being with him's like being alone"

Noach and Avraham DID overlap, but
sometimes you can be alive and not
and that which saves your life once
can stifle it in another time and space

I wonder if I should shake off
the soundtrack in my head
and all the stand up routines
my too smart for the room 'tude:

But then I start to think and know
that we need accessible seeds
and we need symmetry in life
that's what we'e striving for

And words that replay in me
repay me for my attention
and help me be present
in this dream like life

And studying comedians
helps me understand me
so alive on a stage while
feeling caged by chatter

And in truth, often I use Torah
not as a tool to impress you
but the intricate insights take me
from one breath to the next