Swing then! In gentle breeze when you reach the end of your rope
the bloated corpse of the past and the rotted flesh of no future
tongue swelled and blue against sallow skin in moonlight
eyes bulged in lifeless stare under boughs and stars and moon
redemption at the end of the line
Stare then! Empty-eyed gaze into oblivious night, eternal
endless – dreamless and bereft of breath or beat
some calculated drop with body weight and fall and the short snap
of neck, or the slow gasp for breath and swollen lips
drawn tight over old leather skin and crushed pipe
Sleep then! Dream not of days past of lost hope, no tomorrow plans
or years to come. Dream nothing now, forever lost in dark grasp
with no tunnelled blaze or angel’s song, no demons await just this
desire for the loss of all sensation and being and end
redemption in the grip of the noose
Tie then! That noose that awaits us all, just sooner and more violent
than most that wait in shadows and the gathering of loved ones
and if in violent ends these delights do bleed, then be it so
best that than ever aching need, for that which is gone in your blink
be brave and end this nonsensical being
I apologise in advance for the mess