if i am conscious
then there must be something
it is like to be me, like
being you, for instance

at night, when the whales
all stand up sleeping,
the stars seem to hint
of other seasons, other autumns

if i am conscious
then there must be something
it is like to be me, but there is
only one thing it is like

my grandmother died once –
the doctors shocked her alive,
and when i asked what she saw
while dead, she mumbled, “nothing”

if i am conscious
then there must be something
it is like to be me – i can’t find
the right – you know what i mean

a sleeping whale died once
under the stars and no doctor tried –
but whales have zero to me to me
to me to me to me to me to me to