Empty Mirror

This picture is entitled “Empty Mirror”.

Empty Mirror

You're a twisted
little lick.

A fleshy little prayer
hidden in the
fingerprints
of absentee lovers
whose ethereal hands
trek lonely skin
seeking affection
in a beggar's cup.

fold-back; quiver
and burst

The change
in the tip jar
falls among
the broken glass
slicing greedy fingers
that smell of musk
and hopelessness.

Years later,
she buys a mirror
and tries to master
the fine art
of kissing her
reflection,
only to discover
that she doesn't
exist.

Disassembly Required

This picture is entitled "Used Parts".

Disassembly Required

My heaven is not
a solitary streetlight
in the dark cosmic expanse
where dislocated souls
flop eternally against
smudged glass
begging entry
to a highly selective
source of light.

My soul courses
through flesh
and when my body fails,
it will fall into
my mother’s womb
where the blocks
that built me
will be pulled apart
and used to build
something else.

After all,
we are assembled
from used parts
merely loaned to us
for a season.