Last Night
I burned the wick
down to a nub
There’s a quiet ache
in the heart
I try to numb it with burn
with sting
opioids
or some fool wearing cheap cologne
and a knock-off Cartier
that I will pocket later
I wander after midnight
leave bits of bread
along the path - not to help me
find my way home
instead that some hungry lurch
will peck away and bingo…..
here I stand
with tray in hand
sweets and succulents
a house that closes up
when entered
as I close in when entered
I shut the book of chants
and cringe-watch for the devil
I’m gifting for him
there’s a pain in my gut
it’s called starvation
it’s called dead load
We fill the void
then spread the void wide open
refill it until it floweth over
It’s a long night
when the brew bubbles
when Satan’s in the hatch
and I’m quite hungry
Ghost Head
There’s a blur
between wake and sleep a semi-conscious connection where I
reach into the depth
of my empty to grasp at the Wizard of Oz house funneling
within my head
no Dorothy here to click ‘em - those heels - red glowing pumps that meant everything
--home--
can’t quite maneuver to grasp it when I awake it’s gone
moment lost
back to grinding back to daylight