ghost kitten fingertips

tiny and chewed down
thank you's thrown around
like wet towels
make that one face
the sad clown

tickle your teeth
with tears
a mouth carwash
a car mouthwash
alone under 
brightly colored rollers
with your fears
wrapped up in your nightmares
wash them down
with a shandy or some sarsaparilla

unfurl your small card table
set up your tombstone
and taxidermed armadilla
roll wrapped in a warm tortilla
refuse to ever lay down
lie down 
lay down whatever
stay down
whatever
stay underground
whatever under wraps

"Fuh-Jita!" you said 
while pinching your nose
"Keep diggin', Watson..."
say all the ho's to all the bro's
silver ghostly pricks
puncture functions 
run like wet towels
liddle kiddy muggins
like wet blankets
thrown off and cast about
like old wet towels

you old wet blanket
took you down to Chinatown
but when the fish ran on the Row
Ol' Doc Ricketts let slip
and the proverbial skiff
never did flip
never did right itself
never did come correct

"Hey, have I lost you?"
I mouth into the
open mouth
of the steel sardine can
string still taut
key all wound

diving toward bottom
sun either rising or falling
rising or setting
set up and shut down
shut up and sit it out
sentimental is not a word 
I'm often comfortable with
goodbyes thrown around
fondness like someone else's sandals
unfamiliar dank and worn down
walk a mile, hell,
walk 2, 3, 15, ∞

mirrored fingertips
footfalls like handclaps
reflecting back the silk of your sass
the pointed edge of sassafras
lie down
lay down
whatever
just do it
petal flowers folding on your lids
under low light, blown flight
can't just go, sit and cry
cancel all your checks
return the key and bye bye bye

beaches bleached out wood
drifting up and back
shaved and tan
stale like last year
old wet towels, sad clowns
sunburnt and shellshocked
sequestered and half-cocked
just a sizzling dollop of cow flop
in a sandy meadow of 
hermit sherbet shadow squats