circumstantial savior

i was once a man of god
white shirt and tie
name tag on one side

you know the type

preaching the good word
to the backs of closed doors
as they rushed toward my face

with violent indifference

wandering the side streets
of a town split in two
infested with kangaroos

and brisk country air

one fateful day
amid winter decay
and constant go away

we found her

she opened the door wide
light fading from her eyes
too sad to cry

distant and empty

slender wrists stained
with crimson pain
of the cold loss of a lover

who wanted more

and cold apathy
swelled inside me
thank god i was not alone

we snapped into action

she did not have a phone
so we ran door to door
pressing fists into frames

but closed they remained

finally a family
not realizing it was me
accidentally

opened the door just a crack

with some language barrier
we explained the dark terror
happening across the way

and we called for help

until what seemed like finally
help arrived on the scene
and they drove her away

covered in stitches

and then the moment was done
but still far from calm
we stumbled away

to keep knocking

even after i’ve strayed
i look back on that day
to try to make sense

of what happened

we are all in this together
our edges overlapping
pressing into each other

into forever

breathing into the stillness
as it slowly fills us
drip by drop

with oblivion

sisters and brothers
children and mothers
embracing against the darkness

together