And the last one is called "Wish You Were Here."
Someone asked me before if this poem is specifically
about drugs.
No, but it's generally about them.
"Tripping is like getting a postcard
from another country with postage due
and the entire journey ahead."
Someone asked Alan Watts once if he dropped acid--
this was during the time of all the questions
about chromosomal damage and so on.
And he said, yes.
And this person said, kind of hopelessly,
and do you still take acid?
You can just see the questions in the interviewer's mind
if you say yes, you've had it.
Here you are on public TV and stuff.
And he said, nope.
And then the interviewer seemed to respond by saying,
got you now.
You'll have to fess up to why.
So he says, well, why aren't you taking it anymore?
And Alan Watts clearly had been waiting for this,
I guess, all evening had absolutely beautiful return,
to him, which was, once you get the message,
you hang up the phone.