SOON ENOUGH
Exhaustion peels my
skin off for me;
too tired to
turn it right side in,
I hang
it neatly in my
crowded closet, side
by side with
the husks of my youth.
Tomorrow will come
soon enough
and
then I can decide
which one to
wear.
**********************************************
ONCE HAD
When news came
of spreading fire, inching
like a heartless demon
toward the house they once
shared, he ran to safety
with photographs and an
old stuffed dog in
his arms.
He left books, artwork
and his heart in a drawer
beside the bed.
He hoped
by leaving
more important things
behind, the fire
might help replace
the spark they
once had.
**********************************************
OF FIST ON BONE
They must have
passed out kisses to
the twins as they rushed
off to school or to bed or
maybe after they were found
cowering in the closet, sweatshirts
pressed almost into
their ears to block out the sound
of fist on bone.
But no matter how hard
they try to remember
the sweet taste of being a child, the
sense that always returns is the
perpetual smell of black and blue.
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