River Des Peres
To the screeching silence I listen As drops of saltwater glisten In the translucent haze of blurred sight And tangerine glow of lamplight Cautioning the dangers of acceleration Under these conditions - precipitation. Rain like tears and tears like rain Accumulating, then breaking restrain. Out of their ducts they escape, And down cold cheeks they drape Moisturizing a dehydrated face Like a damp cloth to an old bookcase. I lick the sodium from my lip, And onto the scent of the sea I grip. The traffic light flashes teal; I press the gas and clutch the wheel. The streets of life and death intersect; Which to follow, I cannot detect. Fugitives of the eyes trickle, Like the drip of an antiquated faucet - fickle Penetrating through surface tension Despite molecular apprehension. Through my skin, the elements burn And vanish; to dust they return.
