On the eve of her death
lay a ballad composed
with her mouth wide open
and his eyes closed
from deep velvet mellowed out baritones
he conjured up a love-song
from her jangly bones
Whittling away on splintered body parts
and the charred remains of her skeleton heart
he played her like wind-chimes
made of pearl-string stones
in fresh river water
over her jangly bones
I witnessed him
rip the bones from her flesh
even before she’d been laid to rest
and then when she’d not long been buried
I saw him
dig her free from a gnarly grave
and dismantle the rest of her body
bone by bone
piece by piece
natures redress
hanging carelessly off tethered
flesh
Then sculpting from her remains
a rattlesnake instrument
crooning to the angles of the moonlight
cluttery cymbals
chiming out a resounding symphony
sounding out notes from piano keys
fashioned from her hands and ribs
and ears and feet
Hanging limp and cold
this vixen queen moulds
a plastic mannequin
of left over skin and bones
melted out of salty sticks
and the blood of stones
conjuring up a rhapsody
of musical tricks
Scuttling up up up
to shake rattle stir
onto the mountain of skittles
of spidery legs
then the squeezing release
of orbital jelly
splashing beetle juice
over hollowed out eyes
Leaving the smoky wood flavour
of her dried and wrinkled pulp
and scorched carcass
withered with the memories
of his most concealed secrets
Then finally he left her
blowing by the remains
of her skin
and hair
and lashes
I laid to rest her jangly bones
surrendering her memories
piece by piece
bone by bone
committing her musical composition
to my mind and soul
her altered carcass starting to soften
In the dirt and the sun
vowing she would not be forgotten