Teeth: Vampire Tales

Curfew is at sunrise.

Mornings were get going, get up, get dressed, get to school

Get get get

Wait ’til you get home —

No soft kindly dawn to miss.

Sunset brings forgiveness

Smoothing out the flaws;

Even rusted cars shine after dark.

The date moves forward on the fake ID.

Leather, Lycra, latex, linen

Unmarked in them all

Dance every song

Dance full out

And never shake or ache or gasp for breath.

Bass and kick drum put a heartbeat

Inside every dancer’s ribs.

Best friends dropped the needle down

On that track each time:

Hope I die — he sang.

But they got old.

The track wore down, the tape stretched

While new songs throbbed unnoticed.

Ruts grow deep and deeper

Until they reach six feet

Then shovel dirt in. Life is change.

New songs, new bands,

New stories, new dreams.

Death is one old song on repeat play.

The living, lazy, choose to die

Before the beat stops in their chests.

Greedy for life after life,

Gulping fresh tunes whole,

Grabbing more,

Glorying in each new night, new dance:

I will never die.