Body in the Box

What twisted visions lie ahead in this
Greyhound chase, claws
Rake the black earth as my
Vapours hiss and shift, a mirror
Suspended on an unsteady surface.
Be careful where you sit, my mind will spit
Like frying oil, crust the pan with soot of
A recent blaze. Timber cracked like a front
Tooth once beloved, heavenly when I was
Whole but now creak like the ship that
Carries me. Body in the box, the salt
Stings at the thought.

I will be delicate, pirouette and draw
Applause that simmers like snowfall yet
At night I feel small, under it all.
Each drop is into the pond, ripples and
I no longer look the same, warped like a
Carnival trick, a blurry reflection
Survived only in my prying eyes.
This murder has been written,
Etched on the dirty walls arched under
The bridge We Love It Here and
I wash underneath, spirited on
Against other streams.