Phantom

while widows weep by the old Saint Francis a procession of dark drags in red lipstick kick up the dust from Katrina

powdering their twisted faces with narcolepsy and narcotics

laced viagra and voodoo

inside there is a silent hum

of hallelujah and warm bread

stacked in cold cardboard boxes

stained glass and suicide

the pity alters the ions in the air as

the thick fingers of the priest

pull at his collar as he prays

silently and struggles to breathe

choking on the thick hypocrisy

in the hot Louisiana air

the line will end at the red string

and all of the marchers will fall

like the fools they are

and the widows will fix

another seat for the wounded

at the old Saint Francis on State street