maybe there is nothing new
that can be said
about a haunted house
all men
have one
maybe it’s not the house
but the man
spirits
in spite of best efforts
stick around
maybe it’s worth noting
that when the haunted
thing arrives
unbidden
mostly it wants nothing
but to be noticed
a man
will burn down the block
to not occupy space
with the spirit
when he
did not call it
and so it stretches
up into the smoke
and spreads itself out
pervasive
in every soft fingertip
of ashes
maybe it’s quieter
for a moment or two
in the blackened field
of the razed neighborhood
momentary
relief
then the sirens
what a man
refuses to see
will grow
it’s not the house
it’s worth noting
it’s quieter
when
he turns
and looks at it
the spirit
the thing haunting him
and grieves
and acknowledges
head bowed
usually
a soft rain can wash
the streaks
of ashes
from his face
5/12/2022
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