Joseph Kerschbaum

I Left None Alive

The snow-covered field is littered
with the indentations of angels' corpses.
Mistaken for meteors, the wishes
made upon the descending figures
burn off in the atmosphere. The evidence disintegrates
upon impact. Left behind are chalk outlines
of their heavenly bodies. The passersby
don't stop to ogle at the crime scene.
They don't even notice my frostbitten face,
my shaking hands.
On this afternoon, cold as closed investigations,
I fabricate this slaughter simply by laying down
and flapping my arms and legs
as I drown in the gravity that gives me
no other choice but to let go of the sky.

Joseph Kerschbaum lives in Bloomington, Indiana. His latest book, Dead Stars Have No Graves, was published by Pathwise Press in April, 2006. Recently he received a grant from the Indiana Arts Commission/NEA to complete his fourth book, How I Lost My Arm. Check out his website at: http://joseph.matrixmag.com.

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