Pathetic.org  
 

Contagious

by Kristina Woodhill

To die in the mall,
Sitting down fast
On rarely used
Benches,
Bending over
To keep the world from spinning

A faint on the way,
Though I've never before;

Waiting for cessation,
A battery charge,
Stillness,
Level headedness

Willing thoughts
To calm
Though
Norwegians,
Some say,
Claim calm on the outside,
Tamp down terror on the inside

Willing blood
To climb
To my Everest mind;
Please don't let this snowy hair
Preclude strong hand holds,
Surely these wrinkles still allow
Crampon's sturdy footing

This mall has been dying
For decades, I want to tell the EMTs,

Take its pulse
While you're at it

Who wouldn't catch a death,
Gasp a fleeing, bleeting breath

From hollow, dark store fronts
Mouthing EMPTY in this echo chamber

Walkers haunted
At their go-to strolling venue
On days dogs scratch and whine to get inside

My mate counts the blackened windows
Reflecting the crash of 2008

Reflecting our faces, aghast
Each time we take stock

Numbers rise and fall
Like whack-a-mole

I detest the smell of the place
Cheap candles,
Cheap plastic fumes
From the cheap furniture store,
Cheap building managers

My heart is playing bigeminy,
A new game, benign, maybe

Blood pressure trying to raise
The roof off this tomb

I could easily point out the causes,
Have the ambulance crew

Guide my gurney on a quick tour
By the gravestones left behind

Macy's
Penney's
B. Dalton bookstore
Hallmark
Footlocker
Old familiar family names,
Logos now engraved with end dates

I feel lucky
To have gotten out
Alive

01/16/2016

Posted on 01/16/2016
Copyright © 2024 Kristina Woodhill

Member Comments on this Poem
Posted by Chris Sorrenti on 01/17/16 at 02:38 PM

Interesting, eclectic play by play release of information and images, Kris. I like this very much. Don't read too many poems combining malls and death, and you do it so well!

Posted by Laura Doom on 01/19/16 at 08:31 PM

I hear the drone of ‘progress’ approaching as free markets float down the Amazon...

Posted by Anita Mac on 01/27/16 at 08:10 PM

I had a few thoughts while reading this. I often feel a strange sickly anxiety in malls. Also, I'm currently reading The Stand, and fits brilliantly into the mindset it has put me into... My mind may not be the most pleasant place right now, but this is a wonderfully dark piece.

Return to the Previous Page
 

pathetic.org Version 7.3.2 May 2004 Terms and Conditions of Use 0 member(s) and 2 visitor(s) online
All works Copyright © 2024 their respective authors. Page Generated In 0 Second(s)