~
When Pharaoh
checked out at the Red Sea,
odd circumstance made a grab for his vacant scepter,

and kingdom collided
with plague to paint a mural
on the palace wall (or maybe, it was the hotel lobby),

of a dreamer's garden,
his wife in veils, her dance a cordial
invitation to a great many unmentionable things,

the feral sky had blown
itself out, and in muted candle
nightshade, the mistress of war disembarked,

and so somewhere
in those upper rooms, ruler
and consort, hearing the sound of running water,

mystified their carnal
senses by infusing themselves
with a little vigorous morphine of the soul
~

There are times
I forget who I am
and dare to dream

I feast on the emptiness of your words
until I explode
from the nothingness that expands in my soul

time will fade
the taste from my mouth
but not the hunger from within

pride will cleanse my palate
and remind me
that you do not exist
outside my loneliness

sweet nothings
leave a bitter aftertaste

but even the taste of shame
dissolves after a time
and I will sit at your table
to feast once more

look over at
the empty passenger seat

and imagine
you’re there and wink
as internal asides
chime out loud

showing you
eyes that go

where all the words
have fallen short