I poured some of my Nescafé over it. He awoke and drank the rest. I staked him a few bucks for his most pressing needs. As he was leaving he looked at an old French crucifix hanging over my mat. Beneath the feet of Christ was a skull embellished with the words memento mori.
“It means ‘Remember we are mortal,’” said Gregory, “but poetry is not.”
I just nodded.
— Just Kids (Patti Smith), Loc. 1843–6