leaving fingerprints
in fresh paint smears
from decorating this
new paper maché mask
already soaked through
with frustrated tears
as the universe mocks
my every attempt at
heartfelt sincerity

i
drift
alone
on the
currents
of the
river
styx
another
lost soul
bobbing
on the
brackish
waves

can anyone hear me
as i bemoan existing
on a plane nearly
exactly the same as
the one i call home
falling into the
subtle degrees that
separate myself from
the things i know as
intimately as a lover’s
contented sighs and
the catastrophic ache
in depressing tidings

my broken
wings
bound by
rusted chains
to the
swaying mast
as we
circle around
funnel clouds
in a fit
of unbridled chaos
my lungs
filled with
polluted water
as i suffocate
on denials
once more