Mr. Updike

MR. UPDIKE JOHN DOES YOUR RABBIT RUN WITH YOUR BRUSHED-BACK HAIR SO COOL AND SO DEBONAIR FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED AND IT MAKES ME SAD TO THINK OF HOW FEW FRIENDS YOU HAD WERE YOU BROKEN-HEARTED YOU WERE AT YOUR BEST SITTING AT YOUR DESK NEW SENTENCE IN YOUR HEAD YEAH THE EVERYDAY WORLD WAS DEAD HOW COULD IT COMPARE I LOOK INTO YOUR EYES COULD WE HAVE BEEN FRIENDS YOU AND I TALK ABOUT THE WRITER'S LIFE HOW DID IT FEEL HOW DID IT MAKE YOU FEEL HOW DID IT FEEL HOW DID IT MAKE YOU FEEL HOW DID IT FEEL HOW DID IT MAKE YOU FEEL HOW DID IT FEEL HOW DID IT MAKE YOU FEEL RUNNING OUT OF CIGARETTES OR IDEAS FIRST ASHES FALLING TO THE FLOOR MORE MISSING OPEN-MOUTH KISSING TELL ME JOHN WAS ANYONE LISTENING WERE YOU A FRIEND OF UPTON SINCLAIR OR WERE YOU MERELY UNAWARE TELL ME BOUT THE WORDS YOU HEARD THIS MAY SOUND ABSURD WAS IT FROM GOD OR SOMETHING THAT YOU OVERHEARD JUST ONE OF US LATE CATCHING THE BUS WERE THEY SECRETS THAT YOU COULDN'T ENTRUST YOUR OLD FRIEND MR. SMITH-CORONA OH JOHN, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SO GOOD TO KNOW YOU