early the pills pushed keys to open doors
behind which a voice huddled cringing in dim light
others brightened hues of lipstick roses crumbled in the rain
before a mower cut their muddy graves
or heightened flavors of coffee & tobacco
with sweet syrup from a lover’s breath
they performed surgeries
to remove nails bullets thumbprints from the brain
I didn’t realize I took so many tablets
to control my peripatetic wanderings
to sit still as I talked or wrote the nonsense that delights
the nougat in the meat of the milk chocolate
later I swallowed amber bottles plastic lids &
all to rid myself of myself
to forgive the devil gnawing my arm &
the god who stood there laughing at the wounds
oh how those capsules erased the lines blotted tastes
blurred the perfumed pages lost in some Dead Letter office
I couldn’t sing without my dose of melody
dance unless a rhythm was prescribed
physician heal thyself some time was said & I
went to that doctor until his pen ran dry
Ace Boggess is the author of two books of poetry: The Prisoners (Brick Road Poetry Press, 2014) and The Beautiful Girl Whose Wish Was Not Fulfilled (Highwire Press, 2003). His writing has appeared in Harvard Review, Mid-American Review, Atlanta Review, Rattle, River Styx, Southern Humanities Review and many other journals. He currently resides in Charleston, West Virginia.
Reblogged this on Vers Les Etoiles and commented:
This is beautifully haunting and poignant—might be a rough read for some, so proceed with caution.