Beneath the Smile Mary Esposito
she collapses to the ground heartbeats in her skull
thump thump. thump thump.
lie low she knows heat rises
and the flickering flames lick at her sweaty palms
teasing her they play with her hair but lunge for her throat
thump thump. thump thump.
red tears drizzle from the corner of her mouth
taste like strawberries tart with sweet venom
thump thump. thump thump.
her memories nothing but black and white floral
geometric puzzle pieces that will never align
thump thump. thump thump.
bows her head in weary submission
having nothing left to give
she rests her cheek on the cool ground whispers goodbye, and closes her eyes
.
http://vocaroo.com/i/s1PiYycooWkk
a bug flits aroundin a light fixture. i lay on a cotin a dark room. blank wallsshadow clawshalf moon eyes.
blink at me.
i lie on a granitecushion. my face is taut. rubber.
my only friend is the zipperon my straitjacket.
my only fear is the demon inside.
wrinkleson my brain.
white blood stain.
light stitchescrack the sky. cloudy lightningdown my body.
zig zagbang smash-
i long for the chocolate chorus. the lonely ghosts shriek my name.
in my head with cracking seams. ripping fabric. paper doll. i rip.
i am a paper doll.
http://vocaroo.com/i/s1r1OB0gqDzH
The driver said he was sorry Sorry doesn’t bring back the dead.
He said he didn’t see, That they were speeding right at him, But road cameras don’t lie. And neither do the coffins Chilling in the morgue.
My parentsDeath rapped at their door Urgently ushering them To his sleek black limousine
Taking them away to his palace Of cement stones And wilted bouquets.
The driver said he was sorry He should tell that to the mounds Of freshly upturned soil. To the skeletons Swallowed by Mother Earth
Squishy eyes staring straight ahead Trying to catch one last glimpse of the
world
Before the flies eat their eyes And take my soul with them. http://vocaroo.com/i/s0wFpKuFAZxW
she says that she knows me. favorite color, favorite gamebut my mind yields empty when she says her name.
once upon a time she said, you laughed as a baby. I fed you warm milk, and sang what a blessing God gave me.
yet her face is a stranger’s her voice rings no bellher lips form a story that time will not tell.
her eyes bare a sorrowtears follow each other, as she cries out to me that she is my mother. http://vocaroo.com/i/s1spnHo5XpNg
They call me black cat.
Thrown from windows
Because you’ll never see me
I am a dog.
I stalk the alleys
Hungry and abandoned
Behind your apartment
Starving and lonely
Scavenging
My life has been frozen
For your discarded trifles
Halted by deprivation
I am a black cat.
With only the warmth
Leaping nimbly
Of another’s fingertips
From garbage can
To thaw my everlasting freeze.
To garbage can You may look out Your window And see my Twilight silhouette You may think I am an angel. My ruffled hair Is my halo I am a dark angel. That swoops through the city In its darkest hours Pawing through dirty purses And other treasures
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0zwXKdw EDlD
CITATIONS: Title image: "Shadows - Google Search." Shadows - Google Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2015. First poem image: "Solemn+girl - Google Search." Solemn+girl - Google Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2015.
Second poem image: "Real+barbie+doll - Google Search." Real+barbie+doll - Google Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.
Third poem image: "Wilted+flowers+on+grave - Google Search." Wilted+flowers+on+grave - Google Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.
Fourth poem image: "Outstretched+hand - Google Search." Outstretched+hand - Google Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.
Fifth poem image: "Sinister+shadows - Google Search." Sinister+shadows - Google Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2015.