Old
Furniture
Worn-out varnish
of dried tears,
words carved
in blunt strokes
mar the patina
built by years
of fretful rubbing
to polish dull grain,
wax over scars,
make-up on a face
lined with want
of a tender caress –
a photo album
yellowed and torn,
images, nameless,
stare from gray eyes,
empty of solace,
empty of rhyme,
history stuck in time,
like old chewing gum
long forgotten,
pressed in a corner
with irrevocable lies,
wooden promises
on unsmiling lips,
smug with the pride
of an insolent kiss
scratched on a grimace
unrecognized,
reflected back
in worn-out varnish.