Ruffled pillow case, Disheveled sheets
At night, Alone, He sleeps -
The pillow draped within his arms
The pillow draped within his heart
Of her he dreams.
He grew tired of all the sober scenes
So at night, alone, he sleeps -
A drink grasped within his palm
Reciting prayers, singing psalms
Of her he thinks.
In the morning, his eyelids lift
Off the mattress hangs a limb
His arm around the pillow’s waist
His lips are to the pillow’s face
If it were her.
I am a writer;
Syntax and Diction is all I know,
But I’d seek apprenticeship from a magician
So I may learn how to disappear,
Because of you.
My pulse echoes your heart beat
And my hands merge with yours
A sympathetic hold
Understanding your emotions
By syncing with your being.
He distributes his weight between both feet
Standing firmly atop a rickety floor
Knowing the moment he lifts one leg
He’s likely to fall through.
Should he remain motionless and safe?
Or take risk and move forward?
His memories deep rooted like the mesquite tree:
Trembling fingers stained red, tear drops fall
From glossy eyes - magnifying every capillary.
Unbearable. Losing one? Tolerable. But all?
His ear rested on her chest, no faint echo
Of pulses traveling through her arteries.
The air didn’t journey into her mouth or nose,
The breasts steady rising - declining motion ceased
Moments ago. Their lips tangoed at sunrise,
Parting only to exchange dance lessons at dusk.
When they swapped a gaze, her eyes
Sparkled as if reflecting all the heavens at once.
Frantically, his pupils scan her still eyelids;
They became dim shades swallowing any light
Which crossed them. She lie limp, her limbs
Weighed heavily on his arms, and her life
Pressured his soul. A portion of the orb removed
Itself, torn asunder and wandering in attempts
To locate it’s counterpart. You hear in your head: Soon.
Some nostalgia possesses you, but this is the end.
Again, you hear it: Soon. This tiled kitchen floor,
Plastered on top of it, he peeled himself away
From the corpse of his lover. Just one more,
Just one day longer. Amidst the shock, he sways
Toward the cabinets and counter top - discovery!
His hands fumble with some folded loose-leaf.
Scribbled in black ink, a signature. Crumpling
The paper, he throws it with some new ferocity.
Soon. He hears it echoing inside his brain,
Soon. Fists clenched with conviction, pupils narrow.
Soon. One final gaze upon the deceased face.
Absorb the rage, and become as if a shadow.
Scrambling to assemble the appropriate tools,
Into a bag he drives every item and accessory.
Exiting his household, the only though it soon,
Vengeance will be his, the night cascades endlessly.
Wake up, Get up, Wash down, Dress up.
Deodorant, cologne, chain, and comb.
Grab a sweater, some S’more flavor poptarts,
Cap backwards, walk forwards:
Turn and shoot!
Tunes up, step in, metro card slides down,
Fare’s up, head back, stare down.
Ipod shuffles, voices muffled, thoughts unclear.
Scenery blurs then becomes framed:
Stop and Go.
Stand up, sit down, motion through the hallway,
Lights drone, chalk erodes upon the surface.
Pencils mimic the chalk upon the loose-leaf,
And ink immortalizes every stain:
Regurgitation.
Retrace steps as if by stencil on a white sheet,
Bus lights drone, voices motion, freeze frame.
Souls erode on the ride home, screeching brakes,
Resemble the echoing tune:
A subtle cry
A routine life
The toughest metal erodes and turns to dust as
The disparities of men decrease.
Geological features alter: Lakes become valleys,
Valleys become mountains, mountains become hills.
Cities flare in the night until each light burns out,
The sun and moon race circles around the earth.
Moss and weeds invade ancient man made monuments,
Lincolns shoes become green. The Washington monument,
Filled with cracks and crevices, sprouts a thin coat.
Decay and destruction over the span of centuries,
And we’re concerned with seconds.
