ghost town

in memory there's a pill
i took and forgot everything
so now i walk with my head bowed
and breathe like i can't ever
recall breathing before
and each day i find a new road
and a new soul, growing
old.

-

the colonel came in with a lengthy display of corpses
strapped around his neck
'killed these krauts in the second war' he said
as if there had ever only been two.
as if death were something to be proud of.
as if his soul wasn't already burning in hell.
as if hell hadn't come through the door with him
and followed him
every path he went down.

-

there's a chill on my back
spreading it's web
like the legs of a spider
working overtime
in feverish pitch
to quilt the whole waste-
land midwest.
visions are haunting
the crevices where i kept
my sadness locked up
like the indian in the cupboard
like fall days that meant more
20 years ago,
then they could ever
mean today.
it's too late.
it's too late.
so don't wait,
because i'll never be coming back for you.
20 years to late.