the biography

a new book about
a writer you adored
when you were younger
is in your hands.
it's thick and hard covered.
he was famous for drinking
and short stories.
his smoking.
his life was shorter
than the tales he carved
out with a small
sharp knife.
and now you read another
biography of his.
detailed and full
of every misstep he ever
made. his wives.
his booze. his wandering,
trying to find his way.
but always writing, always
writing, trying to make
sense of it all.
the dead is an industry
all its own these days.
shining up those
that have come and gone,
or turning on the light
so bright, that you
have to turn away.