Machinery of Affection

This town holds ten thousand lies,

Deeply buried in these catacomb streets,

Where a single metal detector scans

Awaiting the sound of static to appear

Telling me the metal gears are found

Uncovering the graveyard of the forgotten

Remnants of so many heart buried and broken

The cogs splintered with ember shavings,

Burnt sprocket oil tasting the sunlit sky,

Undecipherable whispers echo inside

The coffin of ghosts and past dreams.

This mire boils over with a scathing wrath,

Melting away the fresh shovel with ease

I dust the dirt from any salvageable piece

Collecting the worn metal into my palms.

Perplexity has always interested me;

Wondering how you survived so long

Sitting on the fringes of my bare sleeve

The thick humidity ate at your very soul

While you beat yourself into submission,

Now it is my turn to take the brunt of it

To bring you to safety inside my chest,

For now I will shine the spotlight on you,

Adjusting the magnifying glass correctly

To find the places needing reinforcement

The areas where damage overwhelmed

So that the tin lining is properly discarded,

Replaced with diamond encrusted silver

Ready to split apart the skin of this metallic camouflage,

To drive away the kisses of murderers

So that each rivet is firmly hammered

Into the holes that once occupied moths,

When the flesh eaters gather once again

They will find their meal ticket expired

So that the winding crack will operate

No longer to be held by the grasp of rust.

With each rotation you will awaken

Billowing out the dust of nightmares

The next time someone strikes a match

Attempting to burn my world asunder

I shall be your blanket of protection

Until your beat matches the rhythm

Of freedom and pulsating life.