N a p a l m H e a l t h S p a : R e p o r t 2 0 1 2

ERIC BASSO

PLEAT

they say that when it opens

everything will be swallowed up

we fear the pleat will devour us

but continue to live in this hotel

without quite knowing why

everyone here drinks too much

it gives us the courage to carry on

we eavesdrop on the furniture

hoping for a telltale whisper

an unguarded lapse in silence

that might lead us to the place

where the pleat lies waiting

the night porter tells me he often

mistakes the dust for snow

a snow that will not melt

you'll say the pleat is just a rumor

the thing we worry about in order

to live with the reality that

nothing here ever gets done

groping in sulfurous light

blinded by the mist that

settles over the darkest hour

as we stagger into bed

more dead than alive

our search goes on

January 29, 2011