ALMOST
Stopped believing
In my own publicity years ago
Before all the hype died
Before my house burnt down
Now I am a free man, free at last
Free from fame and its trappings
Free from the dog leash
Free from working the streets
Free from the pressure
Free from the fear of jazz
Can just sit here
on this balcony in Rome
Smoking mild cigarettes
Her silk robe softly
Rests against my skin
Ashes falling gently
Can almost remember
Those wild days
in the sun.