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 to the ask