5.
The way, in a rainstorm, the sky
descends in sudden violence,
flooding the sluices of the overhead passes
and tumbling to the road in falls
of water, and we wait at the side of the road
filling the space with the hot breath
of our panic, until the violence
has passed and we can proceed
in the dark, the tears of night
blinding our windshield
only a little less.
There has been too much blood
on the walls of my room where I gathered
your body and placed it in the ambulance and you climbed up
whatever fantasy could save you
back into life.
All that still-born anguish.
She tied her bundle quickly and left.
We have all closed doors
on that terrible pain and joined the circus
of the lady contortionist. Runaways,
we pray, day after day,
to the god of lost children,
Save us.
The way, in a rainstorm, the sky
descends in sudden violence,
flooding the sluices of the overhead passes
and tumbling to the road in falls
of water, and we wait at the side of the road
filling the space with the hot breath
of our panic, until the violence
has passed and we can proceed
in the dark, the tears of night
blinding our windshield
only a little less.
There has been too much blood
on the walls of my room where I gathered
your body and placed it in the ambulance and you climbed up
whatever fantasy could save you
back into life.
All that still-born anguish.
She tied her bundle quickly and left.
We have all closed doors
on that terrible pain and joined the circus
of the lady contortionist. Runaways,
we pray, day after day,
to the god of lost children,
Save us.