one foot in reality

one in the void

head in the clouds

heart out on loan

the crumbling masonry work, dust from every shift in the now settling space

rumblings of divine misfortune

a broken wine glass and pool of sticky red is the centerpiece of the table

blackened flowers, wilted and benign

the remains of what didn’t occur settle ghostlike on what did

lipstick on the rim of the glass

bagged and tagged for future evidence, the placard says one

a chalk outline on the floor, marked as two

a crime of passion

a burnt mark on the couch, vaguely human in shape

scorch lines in the ceiling

what didn’t happen here

answers do not come

only time will tell

yet all the clocks skipped forward an hour

better left unsolved

malignancy

reticence

beguiled