A Haunting
Sirens cut through the city at midnight Seeping into the holes and the cracks in the street I'm laying in bed, eyes closed, shallow breathing Fighting the ghosts that keep me awake There's a leak in the ceiling, like the house has been crying Dark yellow mascara trailing stains down the walls I feel the earth shaking in time with my heartbeat "The morning is coming," A far-off rooster calls
Something has died outside of my window Maybe a cat found, at last, its ninth place to rest Maybe a rat the dog caught and left in the gutter Its spirit crawled in, made a home in my chest The night air is still, so the spirit, it lingers My face tracked with pin-pricks, spit-stains in my lungs I feel the oil of its soul as it pools in my fingers And it's screaming its name in the back of my tongue
In the morning I'll find it, stiff body decaying Infested with maggots that squirm through its veins As the heat of the sun turns its skin into leather In the morning, I'm burying all that remains At least that way, the earth can embrace its body At least that way, its fur isn't washed off by rain At least that way, its bones aren't sun-bleached and brittle At least that way, its smell wouldn't cause me more pain
But tonight as I breathe, I can hear it start crying A symphony wails with each shallow breath A ghost in my lungs, fighting over my body Lacking a wake, it mourns its own death Tonight my breath joins sirens and insomniac roosters With the moon as their witness, let the flies have their say Tonight a spirit haunts me, and leaves me bedridden As its body lies hidden 'till the breaking of day
Something has died, outside of my window I have a feeling it wants me to know










