ON THE PRACTICE OF EATING FOOD
ALREADY CHEWED


In an age of virtual reality
                            and cybersex,
  when authentic moments,
                   even human beings,
        become extraneous,
it's not too hard to
      believe
that some of you
              think
         you can encounter
Kerouac, Moody, Salinger,
        the going on the road, the coming of age,
    the catchings in a rye field,
                 without ever reading
their actual words, that is,
                the books,
        by going over the cliff
  of Cliff's Notes,
                    in a game of chicken
you always lose,
           never even seeing
the irony.


Dedicated to all those who have
gotten away with it.


All written material © Bill Schechter, 2016
Contact Bill Schechter