Postmortem

 Postmortem 

How extraordinarily human, 

you saw something pretty

and couldn’t resist the desire 

to chop it down.

Carry it home, 

Put it on display until 

death chilled its bones. 

Sweep up the evidence,

Erase your tracks.

Discard the remains. 

Your alibi is airtight.  

In time, they’ll hang up their pitchforks,

the crowd will disperse 

The chants for justice

fade to whispers from ghosts. 

“It’s such a shame,” 

they sigh, and shake their heads 

“If she’d only listened, 

she wouldn’t be dead.” 

              …- - -…

Scattered through the garden soil,

reduced to ash and dust,

clinging to the world I crave,

I dream I was enough. 

If only dreams were enough. 

——