IN BETWEEN

 

in between the in-and-the-out

in between the stop-and-the-go

the whisper the shout

a shoulder-forced entry

while eyeing the exit 

reason seek solace

the migrant regrets it

in between the in-and-the-out

I’m dancing like somebody’s

drunken reminder

my past or their future

such flypaper traps

keeps me hovered above

I don’t know what matters

I do know what loves

in perfect blood-splattered

space and time and anger and mold

rats and betrayal and centerfolds

those who beg mercy

those who are old

are the same are the game

of the lessons foretold

we don’t ever learn 

it’s a useless road

we don’t beg mercy we don’t share the load

rats and betrayal and centerfolds

sniff the lost, look for the found

beyond the cheese smile and the 

deathly confound

when we know that the worst

is within our grasp

then we know that deliverance

is a panic a curse

in between can be planning

a way out of the cask

red wine should flow freely

like blood from a gasp

I will never beg mercy

I will always ask

how to find the in-between

that safe place before

it all goes mean

shoulders are rolled

head thrown back

finding my way out of yearning

finding my way to the ask

 

2.20.16 nyc

PHOTO: Fenceline : Noctorum Lane : Oxton : Birkenhead : Wirral : 16:Dec:2024.