Collateral Damage

she an echo on an empty playground wanted nothing more than a smile and a small secret whispered in her ear that she might pass on and maybe a little participation took the meanness as it came wrapped in an old lace curtain chasing around playground pretty new dress in ghost notes no melody getting right down to it so many just around the corner inaccessible shadows sidestepping what they can never be shadows drained of longing shadows slipping past small talk sideshow barkers shadows echoing across an empty playground to the very edge they take the wounded not letting them off the hook draw the sweetness out of them small gestures bleed them dry drag off to the very edge sundown shadow drifters no music in the north wind no blackbird sings only the laughter of lowdown jokes taking to the very edge lives of spare change and old fears spiraling down to foregone conclusion in the after of the afterglow angry knife-edged men burn by cowardice memoir’s alias realities shocked by pleasures found men given over to give me my due in the after of the afterglow winds of rage hungers of savagery worlds of secrets linger in streets below windows lit in the after of the afterglow boys wits sharpened on everyday blows follow the untold story into the abys of liberte liberte liberte and the fatted mob in the after of the afterglow ask for god’s sake why