Swallowing the Edge

the broken bridge sings. softly. deaf fingers shape the image.

tortoises to chase. races to lose. bad dogs. beauty queens. a storm of condition. swells. slips the ugly into her medicine. plays the cure against her recovery.

the distance ripples gently under her feet. the thump of the engine. like a perverse heartbeat. ripe with skeletons hungry for new skins.

weakness in stones. games of hopscotch. where she bends to reach. and the winner is humiliated.

stiff walls. patterns of skin. the mania of touch. like blindness. the choke of touch. corrupting flesh.

the mountains. the moon. the sun. the arbitrary distance overwhelming. the panting dog. drawing maps. to the center of this psyche.

the falling trees. bark and vigor in a generous pantomime. the charade of choices. solving x's in fits of skin. the thin pencil. the thick pen. teacher and pupil vexing. for empty ropes.

the jungle. a puzzle of touch. pieces eager to fit. disappointing their pictures.