It's a cold place -
Here in this closet.
A place I was born in,
A place where th'family peeks
And where it's best for closed doors.
Where I hide among the chains of
Cashmere, and wool'n'-
Flip flops and shoes.
It's cold here
But it's safe, too.
Sometimes I open the doors
But I'd make sure that-
And with a careful approach-
That daddy's old blue collared button down
Wraps around my neck, like a wire
Words of truth can't escape that way
If the throat is threatened
And as for pants
I toss away my shorts,
And exchange for the pants
That grandpa would wear.
Pants that locked my position in this
Open closet
Fancy shoes are on, too
Fit for a man to marry his wife
Classic shoes that speak
"I, too, can walk a hundred years
or two with you!"
Of course, that's what they say.
The shoes anchored my feet to the floor
The classic American game
Of ball & chain.
The cuffs of my shirt, with every tug I pull
Now slice a wound
For every limp my wrists' turn.
The waistline of my pants
Now tighten
To block the air from comin'
To stop me from movin'.
I could call myself "prisoner"
If I wasn't the one holding the key
To the cuffs on my hands
My neck
And my own aching two feet.
Today's a'changing
Today I say "I'm through"
The open wooden closet
Whose planks are bend'n
crack'n
With my body bend'n
And bleed'n
As I pull away the chains that
Sought the end of my days.
I do not say I'm sorry
For the damage that I might cause
For no jail cell is worse
Than this hearse
Of secrets and shirts.
The closet breaks
And the clothes have fallen.
The hangers don't cut my throat,
My hands free to move afloat,
I'm free to fly.
I'm free.
*
YOU ARE READING
'The Weathered Man' & other works by Diego Reyes
General FictionDiego Reyes' heart evoking poems and gothic tales serve as a teaching guide and social commentary for those who read them. His work is heavily inspired by the likes of Edgar Allan Poe, Ann Radcliffe, William Faulkner, and so many more loved voices i...