Fat Ballerinas

gave away what i once was. to an alien in a badly torn mask. it kinda looked like me.

snapped the twig in half. threw it on the fire.

as if there was nothing between then and now. except empty highway. rich with skid marks. angry tortoises. and beaten hares. telling stories no one would ever believe.

ran plenty far, but seldom fast enough. to illustrate any moral.

pulled too often. too hard. on the cord. on gravity's switch. was never able to turn it off. not held down. weighted just enough. to make it hard. to get up.

tied the knots. in the necks of lifeless dolls. hating gods I'd never believed in.

a life wasted. untangling the strings on puppets. that have no stage on which to dance. no audience to grieve. for all that they've lost.

dirty pennies. the copper grins of feeble monsters. heavy nickels. the impotent science of so many drugs. that promise to kill us. but rarely deliver.

i argued with gravity. and won.

wish i hadn't.