Memories & Mirage

 
In '76 ragged crows  
trailed a nomad    
wandering through deserts  
where poems bled      
and the moon grew
purple blisters  
drowning in sandstorms      
to a soundtrack  
from the grateful dead      
      
Time reset itself to zero  
so no move felt wasted      
while the battered Olivetti  
baked no promises
for futures a world away      
The only certainty  
its click-click clacking
churning truth      
grittier than a fist of funeral clay      
        
I could still conjure your bones
then dunk them cold
in a bowl of poetry tea      
to swallow and chew
at my heart's content      
the empty confessional
straddling the dunes      
as I dreamed down your ghost
of shining limbs    
served lost on a silver tray      
        
I cannot revisit you now
life's defenses
exact their revenge
when we've learned
how to parry the blade
but the crows know
for they still follow
haunting every step      
each beating wing      
your token      
for one more heartache day