A Winter's Eve

The ornaments reflect the faces of eve

The slow melodic sound

From the stereo breathes

With wine in one, a candle in the other

I pace past pine leaves. 

The dog chews it’s hind leg

A flea caught between two hairs

Nestling deep in the comfort of skin

During this Winter’s Eve.

The sirens distant,

The silence near,

The trembling heartbeat of fear.

Warm wind blows out the rumbling heater

Weary with age and dust. 

I sit and wait for your entrance,

A hope I can never again trust.

With stars hidden in rolling smog, 

I hear your footsteps approach.  

With wine in one, a candle in the other

I recognize the shadow of a small cockroach. 

A small frame of your eulogy

Sits upon the mantel,

Your fingerprints smudge as you pick it up

I reach for your hand

Slipping through my mine like summer sand.

Disappearing like Los Angeles rain, 

I sit alone again.

With wine in one, a candle in the other 

I fall asleep, feeling no pain.