Spirit Photography
a shadow
in the shape of a hand
a slow drip
the colour of blood
the stain on a wall
mottled into a face
stairs that squeaked
with no one climbing them
the tv that turned on
with no one in the room
the phone that rang
with no one there
the picture
you were once in
the bush
whispering your name
the toast burned
with a number
the door
that wouldn’t open
the window that
closed itself
the bed sheets on the line
reaching for a child
a clock that chimes five
no matter what the time
the cemetery
dark at noon
the book
that never opens
to the right page
the letter
from a relative
you’ve never heard of
the breathing
behind you
in an empty closet
the shaft of light
that falls on a claw
the ending
that remains unresolved
TOpoet 