Skeletons 

Look at all the beautiful dreams 

dangling in front of my heart in my eyes. 

I reach for that beauty as if I called it first 

like calling shotgun just before a road trip, 

it’s mine now, until I stretch my arms out 

to claim it just before it’s snatched away. 

I still see it, hanging from the rear view 

mirror of my life, the reflection is blinding. 

This ride of my life is in overdrive, reverse 

psychology of the road kill I aim to dodge, 

but I hit it, I always hit it and the cringe of it 

crawls inside my skin and all I can think 

about is why is this car going in reverse. 

Because I can’t stop looking in the wrong 

mirror, because I am not the driver, because 

I can only adjust the side mirrors so much. 

And it’s always the radio playing the wrong 

songs anyway. The ones that come on 

at the worst time, but I keep on listening 

because the mirror that shows me the 

view that’s supposed to be behind me 

is in front of me and maybe the high beams 

are keeping the monsters alive. Well, the 

gas pedal is meant for moments like this, 

and I have this under control like ten and two 

calling out my name from the radio noise 

playing music like a compass has strings. 

But what I’m picking doesn’t need a location 

or a sound. I don’t need directions for the 

bones that need to be picked apart today, 

and no, I’m not cleaning my plate for supper. 

I have closets to clean. There’s a mess of 

skeletons hanging behind all these closed 

doors and that’s where all the noise is coming

from. They knew all along I would come back 

to release them from the caged hell of where 

their bones are making the sound of applause 

from banging on the doors to come out. 

I’m on my way to you. But releasing you 

will be revealing you, are you ready? 

I have my foot set solid on the gas and the 

radio must be broken now, because it only 

says, Go, Go, Go… the brakes are out..

I will be there faster than you can count

to find your next hiding place… you’re it! 

  Stephanie Bennett-Henry © 2016