The lonely
bleak bird
lounging
lazily
in a pool of blood
left behind
by ancient
civilizations
bent on self-
destruction,
sodom &
gomorrah,
treacherous fiends
feeding on
carcasses
long-dead
and fly-infested,
waiting for the priest
and the last rites.
…..
“per istam sanctam unctionem et suam piissimam misericordiam adiuvet te dominus gratia spiritus sancti, ut a peccatis liberatum te salvet atque propitius alleviet”
…..
The child
travels through the
desert,
ghost searching,
picking up
bottles
left behind by
derelicts
slobbering
and drooling into
unwashed beards,
needles tossed aside,
dirty and discarded
like a baby
left behind for
the next tenants
…
crying,
wishing
for a FUTURE
away from here…
1998