NOOSE
As we walked further
into the woods
we saw it
between two trees
the noose hung down
fraying rope
the symbol of death
hung so still
But as we got closer to it
we discovered
it had only been
an old rope swing
for children to place their feet
and swing across the skyline
how that changed the scene.
____________
KEVIN,
You laid on alleyway mattresses
and grabbed dinner in liquor stores
now you’ve become a phantom
that nobody has heard from
I saw your boy the other day
well, a picture of him at least
he is the closest thing to you
his mom said he has your spirit
and I can only pray
that he listens to her
when she tells him calmly
to stop lighting his soul on fire
letting the edges burn
along the tips of his fingers
as he molds the shape
into some sort of origami
and lets the ghost of his father lay to rest
just like you needed to do with yours.
____________
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ashley L. Cooke is the author of Seven Sins (BetweenShadows Press). Her second chapbook, Tenses will be out soon. Her work has been featured in various online magazines including Horror Sleaze Trash, Rye Whiskey Review, and Moontide Press and Cajun Mutt Press.
Rusty Truck 