After Nightfall

Clean the cobwebs from the mirror
dust the candles
and dampen the wicks with kerosene
draw the curtains
open a window
wash your hands under cool water
sweep the ashes under the bed
but hold the shattered glass in a tight fist

rotting walls
rusted candlesticks
dried flowers left in a vase

wash your face with a warm cloth
and resurrect the shadows
if the matchbook can be found

Diving Through Plankton

(from the chapbook, The Infernal Gaze)

Translucent dazzle of color from shadow
paramecium swarms
drifting
with the menstrual swell of the tide

Traces of light diffracted into a dappled wake
microscopic organisms
writhe
undulating in radiant fluorescence

Delicate swirl of crystalline larvae
diaphanous pirouettes
daring
larger fish to initiate the food chain

The Moment, Past

(from the chapbook, The Infernal Gaze)

That was the moment

when the first drift of snow
settled on the unsuspecting city
cleansing the asphalt with a fleeting
layer of purity
bleaching streets and rooftops
into a blinding white

That was the moment

before the ceaseless traffic
of tires and exhaust
weathered the whitened cover of fallen
snowflakes into a blackened slush

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