for shame

silent eyes downcast
shame eaten – a halt
to looking a clipped
rhythm spoken – sought
unleavening time through
a pile of – accumulation

mistaken for objects making
mistakes for a subject inhuman –
as iron overwrought as irony
distance of distastes steaming
taste – untouched

this is an exhibition of
awkward angles lined up
after – a duck – an absence
a rehearsal for murder
is this shameful

why is diction deceived
by lips, fingers on your
knee – only parts of
separation, pits of fear –
hidden between limbs

overhung from sheetless beds,
shirtless arms – enwrapped
by the air – unwrapped
in the light – a denial
of affect by face – by
faceless presentation –
a denial of faciality –

through another tunnel
of absurdity – grating –
skimming symmetry to touch
this is lifeless – as an exercise
dangerous because lacking
life dangerous as an ingestion of
      silver polish –
there are pronouns –
      direct objects
          simple objects

a rehearsal many times
performed perforce – rehearsed
of shame blazing in pale cheeks
an innovation – tense lover secure
under whelmed blazing
with feedback – ringing through
zones of comfort – is this
demand for presence –
calling up moments of
beds alarmed by destinations

landing on a location – turned down
indented – spaced & parted
at a guttural edge – throat
gurgling bile to generate
      another –
forcefully reinstated
coerced into a service for
the service emerging

a lowest commonality left
cut up a sibilance seething
against the front
teeth cracked / gaping
cloaked – anecdotal moments
elliptically mixed in – over timed –
over clocked evocations – citations
cleaned of a human mess
interest cleaned of
emphasis – an originalled copy