The Lover's Lament

 

what's left of conscience leaks between silk sheets
then streams and grows deep to drown you in your sleep
you wake a ghost; still transparent like before
but today's not the same. you aren't afraid anymore
eyes dilate like camera lenses zooming in
lights, camera, action turns to click, flash, boom
in a heartbeat you ended before it got a chance to begin

BANG! BANG!
the lead leaves home and this instant passes in slow motion
BANG! BANG!
it will hit its mark and the cases will scorch but they won't fall far

the headlines will call from far beyond the grave
and act as the voice you had that was never heard until after you muted it
the black and white will spill the red ink from your veins
tales of the misunderstood and the lover that never knew her name
in your head you were a legend, now to history an asterisks
above the blood flow you stopped and roots that you cut
over processions and traffic lights that the nameless traffic just passes by

the cars will flood the streets for miles and miles
the lives of those lost will be remembered by flags on antennas
and as the hazard lights stop their slow strobes
the bodies of the hearts that lost their beats

are turning into

dead red roses