heaven

We passed serpentine river
it was a black velvet stretch of tarmac
it was my body recoiling.

I tell someone casually
that I believe in angels.
I'm not sure if I do,
but it seemed like
the right thing to say.
The lady who heard me
begins to talk about the
landscape of heaven
how sharp it will be
how similar to this
river valley,
green.

I just stare at her white veneers
think about all that venom
trapped in her gums
veins pink with
aspirin blood
son, a vulture circling
sizing her rings
while she kneels every night
thanking the Lord
for another day.

I close my eyes
to picture ink staining skin
your fist on my ear
or a sword in my hand
with ease she describes
how to hone pride
and haul mud from the driveway
just to prove her devotion.
She cuts down the tree
the children howl
now her voice
is a dial tone
static on the t.v.
and I play with my hem
just to seem deep in thought
when really my heart is
toiling
stuck like a clock
ticking too fast
legs navy blue
hands are in knots
and my dad's in the urn
and your body's absurd
and you make
death a dream,
a warm river valley,
green and sharp.