the r0z garden

an umbrella turning itself out
bruised, pearlescent eyes
hair falling out in tangled cords
spitting blood into the sink
broken, cigarette-stained nails
wasted breath and widened pupils
lame, TV static limbs
crumpled and fetal
palms held to my face
this maternal darkness
bares a million final acts
with the same conclusion

wet crunch of bones against pavement
cold whoosh of terminal velocity
falling in a curtsy 
crumpled like a marionette 
its final disjointed tune
sung in cracked falsetto
on a stage of concrete

blinding flash of burning light
reverb of a bang
abstractions in bold crimson
on a canvas of drywall
an acrylic life 
finished in violence
with the stroke of a leaden brush

cacophony of horns
silhouette in twisted metal
acrid smell of gasoline
cotton wings & brittle ailerons
crumple under pressure
flying, at last
into the waiting sun

bite of stainless steel
soap sting on open wounds
making paper out of flesh
maps and rivers traced in blue
draining to an ocean of porcelain
water into cheap merlot
an agonizing miracle

bitter virus in the system
twisting its way through
fleshy tubes and wires
frantic, respirating fans 
slow their tinny whirring 
a delicate machine
tearing itself apart

trace memories, unfinished notebooks
inkstains on particleboard 
portraits blurred with dust
over a cobwebbed mantle
a forgettable childhood
in high-grain photographs
and crayon self-portraits

handwritten epitaph
words carved in paper
in scathing fits of mania
and desperate adrenaline
a life between shelves
dog-eared passages
smiles in highlighter
so thoughtlessly misquoted 
and carelessly erased