The smoke sprouts from the engine
Laced with maple syrup
An impulsive decision
Stranded in the slums
The roads laid bare amidst the congestion

The wind tugs at my hair
My love’s feet drag in circles as he squawks at himself
Hoarse profanities and coarse Southern expressions pepper
Paranoia, a loss of joy that was drained out of your pores
He kicks the tire, his foot is throbbing, I pour my soda all over it for the ice
Is this what you wanted to see me haunted

The rain strikes with the clock
It sets the scene for a second act of misanthropy
He whistles a pastiche of memories on summer streets to soothe me
Caricatures of pedestrians encounter us
With haughty condolences
“Are you and your old man ok?”
They’d drive by with all their sympathies
If I laid out my situation
My dad’s working the night shift
My mom will greet me with an open fist
I was supposed to be at work and now I’m supposed to be home
Is this what you wanted to see me haunted

The trees are stunning at night
Your jaw will drop at the desolation
My love and I amble on the side of the road
He’s too enervated to raise his jacket above me
The water fell like my arms
Nothing could shield me from my own deception
One bar of reception
Just to encounter a shadow with loquacious fangs
The emptiness of my hands
Emphasized their soft lines
My face lacked that jocose inclination
Is this what you wanted to see me haunted

The air threw itself at me
Wrapped around my lungs
I was warm with the heat of languor
We gained a bar
The streetlight looked down on me as my tongue shriveled up
My head was ripped open with a red roar
I had to make sure he was alright
But my skin was even whiter than I had ever wished it was
The chills hit a crescendo and knocked me down
Is this what you wanted to see me haunted
Is this what you wanted to see me haunted