i went to a poetry reading with ron once, and there was a girl there who sang a song about romeo and juliet. the way the music moved through her was just breath taking. that was what inspired this.



microphone


I.

it was a quiet night at the bar
people lost themselves in the
vaguely colored liquids in their
thick and warm glasses and


some even nodded quite
appreciatively to the man on
stage with his guitar and an
old and weak microphone


his thin lips pressed intimately
against the black metal web
of human convenience and
his tongue was almost always
about to lick it in secret sound

II.


and his head was bowed and
his hair falling limply against
the pale and hallow cheeks
and if he lifted his eyes you
could see dark brown pools


and his fingers moved delicately
almost as if by accident slowly
bringing out the pain and the
crying hope in it's wooden soul
the music strained in his palm


he opened his small mouth and
the words and the song came
out like a tired whistling breeze
that came from far away where
people haven't learned to love

III.


the song lifts itself from the stage
and wraps around him like a
familiar lover that can't let go and
runs through his body as if it were
a flickering candle on the window


and he shivers and sighs, lost in
Her embrace and Her emotion and
his body shakes as if starlight runs
through him and he has never
ever truly felt more alive in Her


the stage lights burn and press
distracting kisses on his hands
this makes the sweat draw the
flirtatious lines down his neck
and invite more sweet kisses

IV.


he sings.


and remembers nothing


but that.

V.


She died in aching slowness
kissing him almost painfully as
his soft voice wavered and the
words slipped off his lip slowly


he gently sagged and shoulders
fell and suddenly he shook his
head as if waking up from a long
and vague dream of a falling


his hands hung limp as the patrons
of the bar watched him leave Her
faded corpse to fry under the jealous
lights and he left the song and his
soul on that small stage in the bar