Altar

The fall colors came the same in 2013
As any other year that we had ever seen
But the entire town felt like an altar then
Those nights were spent
Digesting the ashes of a dead friend
Putting barricades in place
Cultivating contradictions
Drinking whispers

And everybody knew, without even speaking
Before it happens, you recognize a pattern

My skin stayed soft like cake
The roads were unpaved
And no one was actually saved at all
But every attempt was made to hold onto that dislocatingmagic
And the sadness flattened every last thing
In a lasting, manic gush
There wasn't much I could have said or done
Short of upending the afterworld completely

Walking through those days like a rabbit in a minefield
You can’t feel the damage 'til after it happens
Everybody knew without even speaking
It was wordless leaf fire smoke
Murderous green bile choke
And a sick, sullen floating

The fall colors came again
And a pair of plastic fangs joined some dreams in the drain
They told me, "better days are on their way."
Uh-huh
The fall colors came containing unnameable flames
It's amazing that everybody stayed exactly the same
Standing in the center at the altar