So what?
A shingle falls from a roof
Scatters the birds as it shatters
Into infinite pieces
Permeates the earth
Seeps into the dirt
Injects our water
Swims in our blood
Sticks to our organs
Digests into our words
and the way we are
So what?
A shingle falls from a roof
Scatters the birds as it shatters
Into infinite pieces
Permeates the earth
Seeps into the dirt
Injects our water
Swims in our blood
Sticks to our organs
Digests into our words
and the way we are
some scratches
I can’t see both things
The night in the day
When I close my eyes
I miss the gold edges of clouds
That roll and wisp
But in the night when I’m asleep and there are people in the world
Doing
I wonder what it’s like to be somewhere else
some scratches
When I see you in the middle of the day
Three benches in from the Brooklyn Bridge
In that little park we used to share, but is now only just yours
We split a chocolate chip cookie
And smile at our levity
It feels like we are getting away with something that we shouldn’t be doing
But we’re really just living
some scratches
I pressed my palm against
the window with crisscrossed brown mustard lines
In my mind I watch
you lift your arm
palm out
to meet mine
The cold glass
shot
a shiver
through my wrist
to my elbow
shoulder
settling in my Chest
Swallowing my breath
You stood
Arms still as
My hand
We both waited
some scratches
Now you’re Bones are in the ground and mine pass you by on the other side of the peeling wrought iron gate of the church cemetery
some scratches
There is a glare
Caused by the stream of sun ray
Swimming in through the corner window
Her face is always clear
But his looks splotchy
Blotted out like he could be anybody
She’s wearing a sky blue dress
The color of it on a 72° day and no clouds
It’s long in the back and shorter in the front
He’s in a three piece suit
Minus the jacket
Minutes before he minuses the tie
After the picture
He clinks his knife against his champagne glass
Likening the bride and groom to Johnny and June
He smiles
Raises the bubbles in the air
And swallows it in one gulp
On the way home she holds
His hand as he looks
Out
At the pastures that embrace the country road
At the stars that dot the midnight sky
Anywhere but at her
As she folds her hand into his
Trying to make it fit
To feel safe
To feel warm
The car pulls up to their apartment
It is tall and wide and unimpressive except that they have doormen, a pool, and a view from the 26th floor
some scratches
We passed from 199,999 to 200,000 somewhere between North Carolina and Georgia
I held the grey leather steering wheel from the passenger seat
Giving us both the illusion that we were doing it together
His foot was on the accelerator
At 226,744 miles
Smoke rose from the green hood
Third time this week
I was hemorrhaging coolant
Discolored trails or puddles collecting on the driveway
In the garage
15 years
2 diplomas, 3 bachelors, 2 masters
10 jobs
45 birthdays
Sold for $500
Without ceremony
some scratches
As he sat down next to her
The hum drumming
In her cochlea
Peeled shells from the peanuts
boiled and salted first
Ancient ideas displayed
Like world maps on a wall
some scratches
You won’t know
Where you go from here now
Until you open up the door
And see it can be better
The sun warms the earth
Over the creaking threshold
Sure, the shadows look grim
But all I see is you spinning
Rooted
Abandoning all hope
Cut your elbow to your wrist
Falling on the jagged glass
Of a broken mirror
Knuckles white as you grab the handle
Swing through as your stitches rip
In perfect form when you land
Sew it up until you slip again
The woman standing there is a stranger
She’ll remain where you left her
Give her a reason not to
There won’t come a time
When you feel like you aren’t
Falling over and over again
On that jagged broken mirror
some scratches
I wasted my youth being in love