Life
falling apart
all around me
broken bones
broken promises
spoken in tongues
slings of outrageous
misfortune and
the emails keep
coming day
after day shedding
skin after skin
truth after truth
who among us
hasn’t felt the pull?
And all the unwashed
alligator skin
a mosaic
of drying scabs
itching
and scratching
and scraping
ripping at aging
flesh once soft
and supple now
parched
and coarse
marked with
spots of time
the rot of time
the bruised veins
of time where
shrill voices fade
deeper into
the dank hollow
of a mute and
and open mouth
But I hear the sirens
ambulances racing
the fire engines
to the rescue
EMTs not far
behind all
ready to give
their lives
ready to
lift you up
gently
onto the stretcher
and strap
you in