Opiates

Do you think that life has a purpose?
On purpose?

His serpentine teeth chew the words before they surface
And hung in the air like ghost curtains
With a smoke strangled oxygen
Like octopus arms

Now she’s charmed
Crept around the room and made it safe
Weathered-ware he’s laid to waste
He stares her face-to-face
With a hand on her waist
Like he’s got into the light
Neon light buzz
Climbs into her ear drums

White noise

While she fights choice
And walks about familiar places
Angel face kid got her guard tangled in his fist
Words taste rich
She ain’t never had this
Secret passions
That’s old news to old folks

Slip and soaked
Bliss and hopes
In and outer missing clothes
Lit her morals
Pinnin’ florals on her birthday suit

At the funeral
Of her missin’ youth
Ain’t no visitors
Just him and her, and low-lights
Beauty and the low-life
World froze on hindsight
Got his lines right
So he plays his part tonight

Casanova
Bar patron
Wolf appetite
Last-laughing type
With his last lines like
“What happened last night?
“Fuck”

She picks her clothes up
With her arms covering-up her body
He doesn’t get to see what he ruined during party
She fights her tears, while she tucks her hair behind her ear
And let’s ‘em out when she gets behind her steering wheel

Drivin’, ain’t no slippin’ stations
For a soundtrack to heal
But don’t no songs get it right for how she feels
She feels useless
Even though she feels used
And pulls the pill from out the ashtray to feel new

While some kill their feelings
Before they kill you
But she can’t build new
So she wilts in that rear-view
Finds a path to home
So she can wash away them guilt fumes
Still feels dirty
So washes down a pill too

Third and fourth
Fifth and sixth
Make her feel numb
Complacent hum
Of a heartbeat gone dumb
Seven, eight
On her tongue
It’s the opiates
Wash the kisses from the lips
So she don’t taste shit

Ninth and tenth
Fast asleep
So she don’t miss it
And her dumb heartbeat goes catatonic
While a message on her cell phone beeps unread
“Had fun last night, hope you don’t feel misled”

“This is Brett, let’s still be friends…”