Janes and Johns Left Behind

Alani Jordan

The only thing worse than dying and fading tomorrow Is dying and fading today at the hands of another Left behind by the man who took my breath

In that moment, I am burdened to metamorphose I emerge from my body’s cocoon a Jane Doe without a ballad Longing to revert to my physical form and live a life stolen A lonesome corpse abandoned in the secluded forest

The lucky ones are taken home by Mother Nature

The most ill-omened souls are left at her doorstep without a note Pleading to he who reaps for their time to be delayed

Behind his dark hood rests a stoic face, his apathy apparent by his unmoved stance Their fates have been sealed by an audacious man playing executioner

The only thing worse than falling victim to death’s ghastly hand Is having your breath stolen by a copycat reaper before your time Poached in an instant without a chance to say goodbye To the souls left to mourn the one that didn’t come home

Echoes

Jordan

They all echo feelings you never confirmed Encourage me, push me in, drown me They hold me against the mirror, but I do not see what they say I want to believe, I want it to be true, I want you They sing your song, but it’s off key

They speak of your feelings for me

I cannot trust their optimism, for I feel they are just hopes

But each night I let their expectation consume me

For a moment each day, I let myself believe their echoes