Michelle Schaefer
A vampire loiters under the viaduct
wishing for company her solitude
opens its mouth to greet the moon
almost full but too busy to visit
or chat she lights a cigarette
the weight heavy on her lips
ashen and weak she inhales
sucking in her fangs with a sigh
standing rigid alone until the cold
shows up uninvited shivering
she retracts her nails and plunges
her hands deep in pockets empty
except for the darkness living
there undetected the chill
of the night wraps tight
around her neck like a lover
not quite a choke, more like a strangle
making it hard for her to breathe
she soothes herself by counting the stars
in the sky there are few to see
a handful at most loosely scattered
above her head as though someone
tossed them there casually
she inhales her last drag
then drops the butt and grinds it
viciously into the quiet of the ground
hard eyes grow strange with hunger
her stomach growls with angst
logging the short minutes of an unpaid
break easing back into work
she slips into the sandman pillow
of the sleeping few hours before dawn.
CLAMOR 