Holding on

Holding on

Bleached white talons

Old-boned fleshless fingers

Flayed of feeling

Clasped tightly to the railing

It is not the heart that flutters

But the failure of the body

To take up the slack

Everybody knows when to let go

When the time comes

So many letters tied up in bundles

Wrapped in a bow

Old promises carry the most weight

Every day is a new start

A test of character

An assassination of old dreams

Before the ghost ship sails

Across a curved horizon

To fall into the abyss beyond

Dark skies roiling in despair

Against a backdrop

Of filtered imaginings

Nameless streets

Radiating outward

Spokes on a wheel

Alive with difference

Splayed out

Behind every door

So many stories

With overlapping beginnings

Nobody knows where to start

It could be anywhere

Just as long

As it supports a narrative

Going forward

But once reached,

There is only one place

For a good story to end.