Dust to dust, we vanish
From the memory of worms
Steel eyed rusted words still stab
Brass rings from the past we grab
Wishing for what could have been
The whys, the when, the how
Dying in the here and now
We can’t get off the ride
Carnivals and circus wheels
Epitaphs of feely feels
Carousels of well-worn spells
Walking hand in hand
A fairground of the mind, we find
Midways leading back in time
Vacancy of sound and light
I see you as you were
Fractured, hungry, incomplete
Orange cotton candy, sweet
You fed me lines of wishes
Touched my mind with
sweating palms

Sacred psalms, popcorn trails of tasty lies
The echo of your passioned cries
We hid inside a house of mirrors
Safe from prying eyes
Unbuttoning your blouse
You placed my hands
You kissed my lips
It seems to be a dream
A pet disease without a cure
Yet, looking back, I know for sure
I’ve always wanted more
Like visions in a peep show
Sacred sin, we both adored
Now echoes become shadows
Memories sewn to mortal heels
As history will soon reveal,
The play’s the thing inside a song
Repeated as a lullaby,
It hums inside my head
Spinning like a Ferris wheel
Of lovers in my bed

Where every face was yours,
Moaning to a starlit ceiling
The walls collected secrets
You said: “All good boys deserve…”
Showed me what I did not know
Growing old too fast
Forever is a wicked word
Forever dwelling in the past
Now, clockwork angels tinker with
These increments of time
Playing with perceptions,
Turning devils on a dime
You told me to pull back your hair
To look into your eyes
To say your name as if a prayer
Releasing spirits to the skies
Then, all at once, the lights came on
Clearly, it was time to leave
A thimble full of space to fill
A saucer full of cream to spill

Why do memories become idols
Offerings burnt to lesser gods?
Tattoo lies, we can’t erase
Experience we can’t replace
First-time highs, we think we love
Drug of choice, can’t get enough
It stings and pleases on repeat
Sadly, leaves us incomplete
Tokens of denials,
silver vials to hold your pain
A kiss to build a dream upon
A stain by any other name
Deception with a smile
All the while, we wait and wonder
Spells of lust we’re under
Marriages we pull asunder

While life plays like calliopes
Tilt-A-Wheels
Whack-A-Moles
Filling in these God-shaped holes
They’re never satisfied
First-time loves that quickly die
Forever resurrect the dead
Solemn ceremonies
Self-righteous rage
Testimonies
Anniversaries of shame
Poetry of point and blame
Pleading with your pen
Unanswered prayers from now to then
Raise your demons once again
Like whiskey in the glass

Drinking to a girl you knew
She taught you how to want
How to need, to covet sex,
Forever feed
Forever vexed…
Alabaster jars of spikenard
Perfume for your skin
She cried and washed my feet,
Dried my tears with purple hair
Asked for my opinion,
Offered nothing in return
Books of worthless whimsy
For the lessons never learned

TM DiSarro

©2025 TM DiSarro/MindScapes Publishing

New Book Available: THE MEMORY OF RAIN