..........

Maudlin mannequins in a shop window
stare out, faceless and waiting for
nothing. i watch them as often as i
memorize the backs of my hands
or twist my hair into knots.

A photograph of my heart
exposes the past consequences of
cruel misery and soaring failures.
At 02:00 i only seek to find
an outlet to hold a charge for my
rusty alarm clock.
At dawn, i will break your arms
and run. A warm place is nothing
to keep this stray dog domestic.

Without crutches, without stilts,
my steps may fall erratic on frozen pavement.
Singing and screaming are no different
under the black ink and blotchy white stars
of prairie midnight.

A whispered kiss goodnight between jealous faces and
one cold hand extended to another.
As the lightning and the wind intertwine
sensually in the sky,
you and i recite all the lines we have ever read;
i will never be the drunkard in your bed.