you never know
do you
until everyone is gone
and every song sings to you

you never know
not even after all the grass stains
come out in the wash

words tumble form empty mouths
but you never know
and still
faraway perfection mocks from photographs

and you just don't know
do you?

everything i gave up on lurks around me,
final stutters and tarnished metal.
lather rinse repeat
and fly on your broken bird bones
towards written thunder
and what used to be everything.
what i want to tell you
is like feathers in my hair
and fake rainbow smiles.
the drawer is full of
plastic angels.

i gave up.

fractures
in the delirious sunshine
skeletons of pine
shadows across black asphalt
sharpened branches
painted silhouettes, dark eyes
and everything
falls
down
like rain

the sun is a
screaming, feverish yellow
and no one will let themselves

see