An itch for slicing in my pulsing touch
painfully receded when I saw the red
stripes cower beneath your sleeve.

I can't breathe when my friends breathe
smoke then take shelter in my innocence, because

A thirst for anesthetic poison
sullenly diminished when I watched you lose
all shame over several brews and strip
your soul to merry strangers.

I can't breathe when my friends choke
on white dust then bask in my self-discipline, because

A wanderlust for places away from you
ruefully subsided when you anxiously inebriated
to save my waning faith in you.

I can't breathe when my friends labor
cheer then grip tightly to my tolerance, because

I do the same.

Doorways are things of beauty
An obstruction to conquer
A necessary tool for the poet
to explore and prosper* ...

A trillion lights bid hasty reflection
The bowed following preordained paths to
cardboard suburbia , under jet fuel rain , gnashed
in misery , some oxycontin follower , worshippers of Herod , rock ***** payback in five dollar denominations
A trick , a spittle of ***** in a ladle drawing gold from a coat pocket
Like a child's first snow , the learners license , naked in city lake
Kings with chewed teeth , bottom feeders in search of a vein , convenient Christ for **** and Jane , peanut butter for crustless sandwiches and taxed brains
Anarchy dreams , Presidential schemes , Syrian children burnt beyond
recognition , American pregnant teens , what would Jesus do ?
He's left us to our own devices* ...