Scratches in the Tabletops

Do Not Cross

I watched you lose yourself in that roundabout way
Only straight white lines to guide you home
Like midnight on an empty highway

I watched your teeth fall out one by one
Only ice cubes to soothe bleeding gums
Like 21st century radiation poisoning 

and the tire marks in the driveway look like your signature

I thought you got better
When the bags under your eyes disappeared
And you gained back your weight

I thought it was over
When the money in my wallet didn't vanish
And you got a part time job 

and the tire marks in the driveway look like your signature

You traded those blue bags for red rivers
And ratty tank tops for long sleeves
In the dead of summer 

You traded those jumping eyes for jumping eyes
And lasting highs for drowning in yourself
In the middle of a crowd 

and the tire marks in the drive way look like your signature

When I was 13
I found your pipe with the burnt end in the closet
And a bag of blue gold under the bed

When I was 18
I found your body with the butchered ends in the bathtub
And a smeared note under the sink

and we washed away your tire marks