Still Life of May

[a vermits]

by Alex Vermitsky
 
for Paul
 
May stood out as chemically perfect
her hands were two stones against the delicate
 
the paint around her skin was panic paint
a lack of faith, her unfortunate frame
 
just an "Overpriced Cape Cod with trees"
dotting a lake of motor oil
 
A jury of her peers that couldn't dance
to save their lives nor their night away
 
watched these seizures for clues
scores of shaking birds, the dead, the blues
 
the wrong idea of shame's dimension
smaller like an ear infection
 
had my mind consider that between heroics
and its heroes
 
were walls that would be ignored
for future wall potential