before noon i headed to his place
sitting in back with headphones
he looked down and didn't
acknowledge me until i put my hand out to him.

he didn't laugh as much as usual,
the person i'd normally turned to for a revival,
defeated in his head
we imagined his dreams slipping through his hands.

finishing the last bits we put together,
i had a drunken rush of honesty.
listening to the most familiar voice in the world,
i expressed my intuition.

how often we miss
the honesty that can end suffering.
and so i set myself on fire,
for the last bits of warmth to get us through today.

"there needs to be a revival."