Stick/Death

Be careful when you look
If you blink you might just miss her
She moves so fast
Just skin covering bones
Hints of softness to her
But mostly hard angles

She takes you back
Through the life you lived
The age spots are starting to vanish
And your hair has color
When you kiss her
Teeth making your lips bleed

She shows in silence
Your wife's funeral
Where your boss and his children weep
His and the dead woman's children calling you dad
Never knowing her lies
That you upheld

You've missed their college years
You blinked a shade too long
But that's when you fought
So it's understandable
And with open eyes
You see your marriage begun in reverse

And you wonder how that passion
Faded and left you
Working long hours
While your boss fucked her
But you're still in reverse
Just meeting her for the first time

She had the darkest eyes you'd ever seen
And lips that pouted under your stare
She was so thin
You were afraid of breaking her
So she tossed you around
Like a bale of hay

And now it's life before her
You live with your parents
Happy, no bills to pay, just alive
Never knowing your life has started
Wishing it away faster
Ignorant and blissful

You're learning how not to get by
Playing with emotions
That you've never bothered controlling
Reversal still; you've not started school now
Growing smaller, can't believe how tiny you were
Your mother's labor no longer matters

You look at her again
The stick with hints of lushness
She's still not spoken
Kisses you on the forehead
And you feel yourself falling
Into blank emptiness