I

empty bodies dwell

in ever shrinking

space

NoLegRoom

4love


II

i call'd the
federal bureau of indignation

toll-free

and reporte'd your kind deeds

missing


on my last trip to
Love's grocery store
i notic'd your mug shot

slapp'd on the side of a
milk carton
and then I remember'd
i hate drinking milk


III

love's landscape decays
into an emotional slum
blanket'd with smog
blown in from
the relationship before,
and no one wants to
make a bid to save
my abandon'd shell
of a neighborhood,
uno por unidad


IV

peace has no bed here
aching hearts chang'd
The Lock

spring fresh passion
has no secure abode,
no place to abide
except for the vacant lot

© 2004, cynth’ya lewis reed.
All rights reserved


Note: "uno por unidad" is Spanish translation of "one per unit" as in per capita.