“Your Amusement” by Steven Gomez

Steven Gomez*

Your Amusement

My lily of the night, Carry me home and lay me on my featherbed Taint my innermost empathy, and scourge my astuteness. I invite you in. I begin to indulge in my guilty pleasures, and now I cannot break free from your manacles Our virulent bond nails me to wooden posts Bemused in a void of regret No shaman nor witchdoctor could place me on a righteous path We are one, yet you show no anthropomorphic traits No epithet could describe you You glean the intelligence of the insolent and innocuous You pride yourself over trifles and masquerade behind a haze of secrets

I look for shore I waddle and weep. I trudge. You cry for me, But tears don’t fill my hunger. But your dishonesty fuels my anger, And so I wallow in the night and laugh myself to near death. I carry your midnight torch. I guide you in lost frights. I am your docent of our mind. You direct. I ask to take lead, but you say “it’s too dangerous”. Let’s sneak away and break free. Shepherd and abuse me I beg you- no I expect you to do so, ‘till marble screams my name.