Empire of the Lost
darkness doesn’t scare me
so much as all the empty
space for the dead
after losing so many friends
tomorrow turns into a doubt
despite the doctor’s saying
everything is fine
my greatest fear
is that my mother is a ball
of energy floating somewhere
in the universe
and all that awaits us
is an eternity wandering
absence in the purest terms
and there will be a moment
where you and the person
you love most
are to touch fingers
but then drift
slowly apart
knowing in this void
you will never see
each other again
screaming
crying
mourning
eventually you will forget
as did all the matter
around you
helpless
among the stars
next time
you look up
Final Testament
logistics of a burial
is perhaps the most overlooked
thing about saying goodbye
if anyone is remotely
close to you
they will feel compelled to arrive
no matter the destination
and this cemetery was truly in hell
as can be conceptualized on earth
despite being so high
and for those who say they are
one in the same; maybe so
there were first mountains
which meant thin, dying roads
that wound with sharp turns
most drivers here are reckless
and nauseated
it was also a particularly
dense winter & the snowflakes
were no prize to a horde
of southern californians
who cut their teeth
in the mohave, sonoran,
great basin desert, dry uselessness
of palm springs, coachella
valley sundown’s
many slid into trees
others gave up halfway
through the pilgrimage
& the rest of us
who arrived to a shivering
priest capped pale
smiled a little bit
sharing something special
like tibetan goats
on the edge of existence
Brandon Shane is a poet, born in Yokosuka Japan. You can see his work in the Berlin Literary Review, Acropolis Journal, Grim & Gilded, Sophon Lit, Marbled Sigh, RIC Journal, Hog Literary Magazine, among others. He would later graduate from Cal State Long Beach. Find him on Twitter @Ruishanewrites
+ There are no comments
Add yours