If the cold pavement knew you so well
it would know that your name spelled disaster
and would not hold you up
as you fell upon it
a broken needle in your arm

but i know your name
it once spelled redemption
a curse'd spell that once cast would creep upon sinners
and render them asunder
so that they might begin to beg for mercy

and as the mites might crawl through your ear
so must your name bore itself into our brains
like so many maggots that feast on our memories
that repeat back and forth
until their origin, distorted
become more lie than story

you could line up the alphabet
repeat it upon itself
until your name appeared against it's actual meaning
track marks and broken houses
stained couches and crying mothers
a dream left abandonded