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in remembrance

broken-hearted
broken-winged
flightless and breathless
dizzied and panicked
the heart beats faster in the bloodless chest

the future waits

waits

in a cell

sacrificed
on a hard table
to a blind blade
to shapeless cottons
to bacterial junctions
to a vase of roses and carnations wilting in the summer heat

teeth shudder
in the worried mouth
where words betray their silenced tongue
resurrected follicles
punctuate scarred arms
conversely
perversely
the skin round the eyes grows smoother each day
paper thin skin twitches
in remembrance

granite feet support
leaden legs
lactic acid lingers
each muscular stretch
a delicious pain
a reminder
of the one-toothed bite

the nails in this walking coffin
yellowed
striated
well-hammered
like the man on the cross
who died for my sins
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