he lives in a house
that takes up the small corner
of the cul-de-sac
there are no windows
only a single frame
above the back porch
yet no one
ever dare to sneak a look
for fear they will
see the reason why there
aren't any
windows.

his wife
tossed her heart out
the top left
window
saying she'd rather
have it pump its
end
on the pavement below
than have something touched
by him
inside of her when she too
died.
after this, he promptly
took her
lungs
his were full of ashes
and he always felt,
he breathed better
with her.

his baby
his smiling, hauntingly joyful
infant boy
stopped too
only eight years
ago
when he wedged himself
between
the metal bed-cage
and went to sleep.
if you looked,
you could probably have seen
him
suffocating
through the bedroom
window.
as purple as
the day he was born.

this man tore out
the last window in his home.
he wanted nothing more
than to shut out the
night
and the day's harsh rise of
gold.
it hurts his eyes to see a welcoming world
just as much
as the dark.