After Party

[Keith]

Damaged hands gripped porcelain,
old ink looked hard on tightening skin,
she floated, nose and eyes broke the surface.
body worse than she had feared,
muscle defined by cuts and bruises,
swollen tissue trying to conform.

It was time,
she stood naked, trembling on marble tiles.
The water running from her feet
followed grout lines into dead pools,
she stared at the frame around the door,
and dressed in the half-light
avoiding clarity in the mirror.

The sparse design of her hotel suit
was unbalanced by the smell
of left over room service.
Stepping out into the long corridor
she followed the dull thud
of music, a metronome in her chest.

“Keep quite she’s coming”
Reaching the door, deep in transition
her animal broke the seal,
exploding with the champagne,
carried high on shoulders around the room,
the champion’s belt tight in her hands.