Remora

Cactus, cacti--
Catch me,
Not catch I.
Breathe in, breathe in, breathe in.
Exhale. Exhumed.
Let's go from this room.

Far away--
Away from here
Out on the streets
Like imbeclic cheats
Counting the flowers as they sway,
In the cracks we find along the way.

Tell me of the multifarious one;
Who preyed upon the crowd.
The judas goat,
Stabbing and then staggering
To his prayer rug
At the close of day.

Beaten and abused,
Picked up, put down, and used.
The gregarious remora, a beauteous fruit
Now bruised.

Lotus, Lodi--
Drunken and loaded?
No, not I.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Respire. Retire
Now into your tomb.