I catch myself thumbing through abused, yellowed Polaroids of us. We were just a couple of punks punch-drunk on a love so incestual. A creeping haze captivates, intentional. Our hearts are on empty, half as warm as the welcoming hands of Death. Emotions run few and far between. Who’s to say that I even recall the old days as well as I say? Regaling all-who-inquire with a sharp tongue, witty lies. A scripted lack-of-awareness I took the time to memorize. I know what it feels like to drown. I wear my smile like a pauper wears a crown. Damned, deaf, and dumb. I still feel your teeth on the tip of my tongue. I cured all my virtues with vice, corruptions that entice like a handful of Valium and a bottle of wine to drink away the prospects of ascendancy. Stop defending me and keep your open mind to yourself. Take to new heights, but, before you do, shoot out the fucking lights.