But what if the truth was that
All the other people in your life
only existed when you looked at them
That there existence was simply
A creation of your mind
Products of your imagination
All the interactions, arguments
Deep conversations, love making
Joint joys, shared sorrows. All of it
Merely mental images and sensations
Every person on a crowded train the progeny
Of not your body but your brain
That’s why people resemble each other
As your brain runs out of new facial features
And simply repeats a them, slightly varied
Your spouse no more substantial
Than a stranger passing on a bus
Your children chimeras, winking out
When you turn your back
Similarly, all of the places on the globe
On maps and in travel guides
Even the globes and travel guides
Merely products of a fevered mind
To create a world to explore
Even your house, existing where you stand
And can see. Each room created
As you enter. The one you leave destroyed
April 12, 2023
poems for friends 