Dobby dying in Harry’s arms from a fatal knife attack
and after his last words I go back to slurping my soup

pumpkin ginger because ‘tis the season
but something doesn’t sit right with me

why is Café 59 playing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
when the Sabres are about to hit the ice for their season opener?

not everyone cares about sports, and I get that
I just prefer giving in to false hope rather than face my true feelings

but maybe tonight will be different

how after I’m done eating, I follow the sounds of a car crash
until I’m lost in a grove of dead trees and instead of leaves on the ground

there’s broken auto glass and a better version of me sweeping up the pieces
I stare for a while, angrier with every passing second and when the tears

in my eyes start welling up I drop to my knees and beg for the broom
pleading that I’m finally ready to clean up this mess but it’s a half-lie

as I put the broom between my legs and take to the sky flipping off
the other me, there’s magic in running away and I’ve gotten quite good at it

flying around aimlessly until I feel kinda guilty and text everyone in my contacts
what’s up and tonight it seems there’s a gathering in Niagara Square

how there’s this kiddie pool in front of City Hall and people filling it up
with Count Chocula then they’re gonna set it on fire, a ritual meant to banish

the monsters in our lives and maybe now’s the time I disappear
so I make a beeline for such a beautiful place, to be with friends

WHAT HAPPENS BEFORE THE WORDS HIT THE PAGE

Imagine old cats in a white room
sadness a tiny pyramid in the middle

its creation remains a mystery
the cats wanna get to the top but don’t have the energy

so they purr and sleep and dream at the bottom
of something they don’t understand

and every time they twitch, a new poem is born
we don’t live just one life but many

some advice: always occupy
the museum of you, all your flora and fauna

and the stories behind them
whenever there is any doubt

about where to climb, first find the fire
you don’t wear anymore and bury it

it feels like someone rubbing your back
and then a song escaping through your mouth