Three days back from Tibet, fever-hot Suitcase still by the flowerpot She swears jet lag, I say it’s not Then the kitchen clock skips and stops Midnight meds, another ritual Fever climbs past clinical Doctor turned patient, biblical Every symptom subliminal Eyes half-open when she sleeps Whispers names she never keeps I ask what she sees that deep “Nothing, babe.” Then kills the beat TV snow crawls on the ceiling Static clicks, pulse-repeating Knows my words before I’m speaking Then blanks out cold, whole frame freezing Dog won’t cross the porch-light glow Wind kicks hard, chimes won’t blow Cloudbank rolls in black and low Green-vein lightning scars the smoke Thunder lands like debt unpaid Black rain claws the windowpane She grips my arm, straight-up afraid “I’ve seen that sky.” Then looks away One flash cuts through bedroom shades Two more bleach the hallway gray Third one hits; the whole house waits Rain still falls, but sound gets erased Something went quiet in her eyes Something went wrong beneath that sky I say her name; she stares through mine Then every clock falls out of time Green sky, beat the glass Hold my name when the whole world cracks Dead air, fade to black If you go quiet, I’ll drag you back Blue moon, flood the room Old wounds wake when the needle moves Black rain, I know your name Love don’t die in black fucking rain Hall light flickers; there she stands Wet-black hair across her hands I call her close; she blinks, no breath Then ten feet vanish in one fucking step Palm to chest, freight-train force Back through wood and splintered boards She lifts me clean, then throws me down Like gravity just left the damn house I see my wife beneath that stare Half a second, scared, aware Fingers loosen at my throat Whispers “Run,” then goes cold Jaw locks hard, the softness dies Green pin-fire behind her eyes I crawl through glass; she walks in slow Then she’s right there; no steps, horror show Shoulder hits wall, support beam snaps Lamp goes down, vinyl rack cracks Needle drops when the cabinet lands Three warped notes crawl through the black Blue Moon bends, a wounded tune Slow-wave ghost in a broken room She folds down like strings got cut Then every lost sound crawls back up That old tune cuts through the haze Her blank stare cracks; she knows my face Sound floods back in violent waves She grips my shirt: “Don’t let it fade” Rain beats hard on the roof again Loose glass clicks in the blackened rain She stares at hands she can’t place Then looks at me and knows my face I know that record, know that look Know the scar behind that hook One locked room from years before A lost page she wished would stay ignored I kill the player, pull her near For half a breath, her eyes go clear “There’s something living in the hush” Then green light hits us in a fucking rush Power cuts; the melody dies Dead-air pressure starts to rise She jerks away like a livewire shock That other thing snaps back on lock She hits me through the hallway frame Blood in my teeth, no sounds again Floor joists crack beneath her rage Green flash brands her like a stage I move; she misses; timbers scream Wall folds inward, broken beams Half the upstairs crashes down Then the silence swallows every sound I call her name; nothing comes back Rain on my face, but the sound stays flat She could be trapped beneath the beams Silence can’t tell me if she screams Hands split open, nails and stone One beam won’t move alone Garage door hangs off its track Then I spot the saw out back First pull coughs; no engine bite Second spits in green storm light Third pull catches; teeth start screaming Something in the dark starts breathing I cut through timber, cut through frame Scream her name till blood tastes same Black rain pounds the shattered pane Every rev screams, “Not to late” Then something moves behind my eyes Cold as grief in a borrowed time A room I’ve never seen turns fucking blue Warped old song comes bleeding through Last beam falls; I find her there No breath left, no frightened stare Saw drops dead; the storm rolls on Something in me is breathing wrong Green sky, beat the glass Hold my name when the whole world cracks Dead air, fade to black If you go quiet, I’ll drag you back Blue moon, flood the room Now your nightmare lives in me too Black rain, If hell wears my face, Remember my name. Love don’t die in black fucking rain! Morning crawls through the broken roof Chainsaw cold by her muddy shoes One cricket sings by the county line Then cuts dead short before its time
