rainbows

They come at me to cut me down, painted wings and taped on crowns, cartoon hearts to conceal the funerary mood. Love letters sent for the paper cuts, the blood hunger never far from the fire, the always eyes watching from outside the glow. I cough rasps and flecks, not a clear breath in the bullpen, and the sipped auspices say nothing good. Dumb, dull death always cluttering up the wings. 

The room is lit with shrill ubiquity, the bare light and naked mirrors dash the shadows silly, soft shades and and uncertain shapes scattered all about. The fan overhead drones on and on, vision flickers and fades. Half a moon away from no moon at all, all guardians gone on, old brass blows an ancient blues, a kiss waking the new world from all its curses. The lonely day dashed into the howling mad night.

The stars pass by without my mark or measure. The days groan on without my help at all. I happen upon relics and artifacts, devil’s bargains and fiend’s curses sew tumors in my future flesh. I dissolve into embers, moments strung together smoke to smoke, lights left on though the room is empty save the light. Prism split along the this and that, word after word trying to at last elude the past tense. I watch the clock, waiting for last call.