I'd Rather Be

I'd rather be a handful of ashes
Than a truckload of dust.
I'd rather be unknown
Than a big bronze bust.
I'd rather be a blazing comet
Than a minor moon.
I'd rather be a mountain lake
Than a city lagoon.
I'd rather be summer shower
Than a mighty monsoon.
I'd rather be too late
Than too soon.
I'd rather be a knife
Than a spoon.
I'd rather be a sleep
Than a swoon.
But of all the things I'd rather be
I'd rather be with you.

Clinton Van Inman claims to be one of the few remaining Beat Poets who still bang the drum slowly now for the Cause. Recent publications include Internet magazines: Poetry, BlackCatPoems, The Inclement, The Tower Journal, and the Beatnik, while recent magazines include Down in the Dirt, Hudson View, and Indiana University Spirits to name a few. Currently, he is trying to gather most of his poetry together to publish in a book to be called "One Last Beat."

Clinton was born in England in 1945, graduated from San Diego State University in 1977. He is a high school teacher in Tampa Bay, and lives in Sun City Center, Florida with his wife, Elba.

Find more by Clinton Van Inman in the Author Index.

Comment on this story in the Aphelion Forum

Return to Aphelion's Index page.