the letter
he holds the letter
like it’s got teeth
name scrawled on the front
like a curse someone dug up
after twenty years underground
he knows what it is
not the details
but the smell of it
old blood and old memory
someone kept the receipt
he thinks of the boy
not his name
but the way he laughed
like glass breaking
he thinks of the lies
told clean,
under holy ceilings
he doesn’t open it
he doesn’t need to
hell doesn’t knock twice
the letter
he holds the letter
like it’s got teeth
name scrawled on the front
like a curse someone dug up
after twenty years underground
he knows what it is
not the details
but the smell of it
old blood and old memory
someone kept the receipt
he thinks of the boy
not his name
but the way he laughed
like glass breaking
he thinks of the lies
told clean,
under holy ceilings
he doesn’t open it
he doesn’t need to
hell doesn’t knock twice