Halloween Mask
They never fit the way you hope
they will, the latex loose,
the green zombie nose
too low, the eye slots
too thin to guide you
down the road.
There’s no way to mask
this thing inside you.
Some costumes we swallow
with wine, with walks
along unfamiliar cobbles,
searching for doors to open
windows to break.
Others whip their shadows
like storm clouds
ripping the leaves off trees.
You can’t escape
the rain by running.
It’s like stealing other people’s tongues
but wanting to get their taste
out of your mouth.
From The Trouble with Rivers (order here).
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