They lay to rest

behind mirrored doors

Buried in a box

collecting dust

along with the

butterfly acoustic

blood stained shirt

and hoard of empty bottles

They scream

Begging to be

remembered

and cried over

They speak of

love and sorrow

A man of honor

shot to the moon

dodging shrapnel

snow on the roof

and puzzled thoughts

homeless

with a regal style

outstretched hand

begging for forgiveness

saturated in shame

he rests where

drops of amethyst

pave the godforsaken road

her eyes

chocolate cosmos

a baby's breath

on queen anne's lace

a cry

a mother's love

a carcass

and silent screams

The smell of

cigars

booze

and fear-filled

sweaty men

was heavy

in the back room

of a restaurant

Working the quarter

Stacks on the table

Dealt into the game

We poured our guts

into our drinks

Topped them off with

lies and vulnerability

then swapped glasses

with one another

Pain written across every face

Guilt unleashed our demons

to mock and instill fear

Not even the whiskey

on our breath

would let us forget

Ghosts of generations past

underneath a string of lights

A soulless corpse-like wretch

screams promises

down a darkened street

as death emanates

and embraces in waves of love

Our love

founded on

dissimulation and hypocrisy

is drowning in a room

of empty bottles

I sugar coat your lies

force them down

along with my sorrows

I turn a blind eye

when you come home

smelling of rum

and bathed in the scent

of another woman

I hold onto your

empty promises

as you wrap your arms

around me

We hold our own

Both playing our part

in this masquerade

(Revision of Mind Games by @ruffmiriam)

As requested by @poetsdream, here is a reading of my piece "Gold Stars and Hues of Blue"

Really hate my voice... but here we go.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8l7c_qAJ5gYTUZ3UFRVVUh6OWc

Through blurry vision

and puffy eyes

the streetlights are

my stars tonight

Dipped in gold

they shine bright

The amber glow

beckons me to follow

The brisk unforgiving

January breeze

makes its way through

my knee high

lace up boots

and coat

then embraces me

from head to toe

and whispers the words

I wish you'd say

Of course

I know my love

will never be enough

My once black ink

now runs the saddest

shade of blue

I'll sign this letter

at the corner

where paper meets pen

before I fade to black

and send it out

into the wasted night

Self-Portrait

It has a secret life

Cast to the darkness

Feeding off the light

Mysterious

Elusive

Alluring

It defines the contours

of my inner self

Seized at dusk

and put on trial

It submerged my

papier-mâché heart

in bourbon

and put me to the test

then lit a match

I drink a cocktail of moonlight

at high noon

The shadows disperse

leaving behind a trail of nightmares

to find their way back

Novae swim in my eyes

and I've got my head above the clouds

while my heart lies six feet under

decomposing with the rest of me

An angel disguised as death

found shelter in a dusty corner

She saw the beauty you held inside

And so,

you lived to see another day

Time grew cold as the seasons changed

You took on your own

Never judging the tempest in my mind

The months birthed a mutual respect

Then death seduced an angel

You'd be proud

They keep guard

as you keep watch

Know that they listen to my drunken stories

about the conversations I used to have

with their mother Charlotte

Rest

knowing that with me,

they'll always have a home.