Skeleton Tooth

I see the shadows of the prophets in the parapets

Truly they have their reward

Trade you a map of the castle grounds

For some proof that you got past the guards

There’s dried blood on the wrought iron gates

Spies in the tower

I crawled up from the dungeon last night

Under my own power

Spit blood at the sidewalk

Try to stay out of the headlines

Scan the guts of fresh roadkill

Looking for bad signs

Stay safe in the shadows

I know the real truth

Better a mouth full of bloody gums

Than a skeleton’s tooth

I hear the howling of the helpless in the surface noise

Scratch out their names in the dirt

Trade you some tales from a vanished cave

For an invisibility shirt

Recall the proverb of the prodigal son

Not sure who it applies to

Threats of my enemies run loose in my head

The way that lullabies do

Take the road where it leads me

I should probably know better

Just up ahead see the shining sign

Of the debt collector

Sleep and peace attending

All through the night

Skeleton’s tooth gleaming down in the darkness

All fine and bright

Once I walked in splendor

Back in the world of my youth

Better to bury all the better days

Than a skeleton’s tooth