Dust Lasts Forever

once upon a cosmos
two stars fell disastrously
in love

as their romance began to supernova
what they thought was infinite
came to an explosive end

leaving them both
with the debris of heartbreak
and the dust of memory

Orphan

she remembered leaving the orphanage
her gramma came to get her
and her older brother

she told me how it felt
when the car pulled up
the rush of relief
leaving that place

she was so excited that she was going to
have her own room
and dolls
and eat breakfast
at a kitchen table

what she really meant
was she was excited that somebody loved her
enough not to leave her there
and forget her

she got to be part of a family

somebody cared about her

my gramma's life certainly wasn't
smooth sailing
after that

as with any life
there were as many hardships
as there were fortunes

but
i am always glad
to imagine the day her gramma
came to get her and her brother
out of the orphanage

Without the Minors, There Are No Majors

as tears trickle over piano keys
a sad song escapes from its cocoon
and like the determined moth
seeks the light

[library books due]

library books due
pills kicking in, he wonders
who will return them?

[gasoline lipstick]

gasoline lipstick
her tongue tasted like matches
Hell, could that girl kiss

[lament of feedback]

lament of feedback
whether from critics, or amps
guitarists hate it

Cigarette

a ring of white skin
where there used to be gold
pressed up against a butt
stained purple with cheap lipstick

she remembers when she was young
and everyone would tell her how pretty she was

she never believed them

trust was a fool's game
and you could call her anything but that

when he asked her to marry him
she asked him why

when he asked her for a divorce
she asked what took so long

when he was finally gone
she felt strong

strong enough to be alone

to doubt any good deed
offered

to walk through the alleys
and stand in soup lines

to let a cigarette burn between her fingers
as she slept in a doorway
out of the rain