Six Months in 1995

[crow]

Todd, let me take a shot at rehearsing just the narrative, here.

Six Months in 1995

We’d become infected
with the brightness of the moon–
--this is an idea of lunacy, of menstruation, of sex, and if danger

the rasp of our own breathing;
--sex and a reference to illness, stress, fatigue, weakness

days that pressed too close,
--claustrophobia, no breathing room, heightened arousal, stress

flash burns on walls, etched
radioactive hieroglyphs
--doctors office, x-rays, mystery, distance, things that require interpretation

of a pregnant girlfriend,
--concrete image, distancing frame, false attempt at depersonalization

dominatrix with a bread knife,
--cruelty, domination contrasted with domesticity

itchy-faced bouncer with teeth
--probably the narrator's own face

that wouldn’t brush clean,
--guilt

red-dressed addict in frayed
fishnets, covered with drywall
--metaphoric prostitution contrasts w another idea of domesticity: the abode, or domicile; bloodshot eyes

vomit in the walk-in-closet.
--hiding, disgust, loneliness, alcoholism

Glasses clinked and shattered
into lines that crawled up noses burning
inexorable fuses.
--addiction, fear, fragility, a ruined toast, pensiveness, expectation, probably a fear of being "sniffed out"/discovered; possibly a dangerous attempt at unsupervised abortion

Arms and legs splayed forever
exploded over rust-stained shag.
--the rust is blood, this is a horrifying miscarriage or abortion

None of us were there.
--the mother died

None of us saw anything.
--again the idea of ridding oneself of guilt, culpability

Something died.
--the baby/fetus, the relationship, happiness

Someone died.
--the narrator metaphorically, the victim actually

We all should have died.
--regret, anxiety, guilt

Hope that helps!