My ghosts are dying
their moans a distant sigh
Chains that once rattled
in unrelenting clamor
Fall chink, by chink, upon a dusty floor
enveloping me in the haze of brutal silence
Amorphous – at the mercy of my own incapable design
I know not where my home lies now
An orphaned puppy, desperate to savor
mother’s haunting milk …
that succulent, kindred abuse
And lie at peace, with belly full
My ghostly loves—
who once tainted my lobes with sweet, hot poison
Remind me who I am
Chip away my faith, my dignity
But yet … I sense
the smoldering of scarlet embers
that glow languorously in my breast
resuscitating a long-forgotten soul
whose family crest belies
these humble roots
these hot, smeared lips
The cigarette-burned legend upon my cheek