ARRIVAL DEPARTURE
Albany to New
York turn away from the door
run back
upstairs to the platform heels
clicking
freeze frame dark windows don’t
go stop
running at opposites he can’t see
out you can’t
see in end of the reel tracks
transpose you
stand inverted negative splice
to another
train window the distance not such
a long way
down tracks bolted to ties inside
the trading
post candy store you wait for Chicago
to Arlington
Heights hands eyes nose breath lips
imprint display
cases she says don’t touch stop
touching that
glass you sit down fingertips
trace cinnamon
sugar wedged between beveled
floorboards
looking back at you from their shine
the gloss of
too many rock candy bouquets
in trade for
the face contorted the body swollen
obese over
skinny shins standing in dark plates
snapshot
windows commuter train tracks bolted
to ties the
distance not such a long way down
sandals to
saddle shoes parallel steel on wood
on gravel
mallet to iron spike artillery shrapnel
to skull
where the scar glides over gin sweat
on his
forehead sweat through gin hands black
and blue shaken
into your shoulders heat on his
breath listen
to me listen he says it wasn’t
the sound of
the knife scraping a sternum it was
the warm
liquid my hands were so cold the air
was so cold I
remember steam rising from
the flow over
my grip steam from his last word
spoken a
language I couldn’t understand his head
back his eyes
looking up at me clots gurgling
under his
helmet chin strap I wanted him to wait
I wanted to
know but he fell back I said don’t
do that don’t
fall away listen give me your hand
take me back
to the pulsing yes like that good
to me baby is
so good see it’s not so bad not
such a long way
down ties and bolts tracks leap
down
holographic departure wait at the dark
window please
touch the scar wheels rumble theft
clang spike
serrated edge to bone love left behind
love
destroyed standing alone dust cloud skin sparkle
eyes debris sting that
is pain that is pain
