when i last shaved
the world looked very different
sleep came easy
my bones less fragmented
the frame of it all
not even realized

beer and whiskey have conditioned the hair
firmly affixed to a pit of exaggeration
and wild dreaming

it yellows near my lips
a sign of weakness
and dependence 
and more than once has kept a leftover
sometimes it reflects my heart
flattened to one side
and unkempt
slowly moving outwards
but constantly growing heavier


this beard is more me than i am