bodies.
skeletal bodies.
naked bodies.

gaunt faces,
empty eyes.
dead eyes.

it’s the eyes that
strike me
most…

where is the
contempt?
the confusion?
the sadness?
I search these dark eyes
and I see nothing.
Nothing.

is this what death is like?
all of them live…
but still this place reeks of it.

shadowed faces
misty faces—
half a face.
not one is truly whole—
they are the ghosts
of their past selves…
you’d think they’ve
Forgotten how to smile.

beneath the sun
heat rises.
in clouds of steam
from the bodies.
naked bodies.
skeletal bodies.
they stand hunched
dreamless of future.
of life.
a man
the only man.
the only human.
the only living being
in this flock of lifeless
mannequins
he?
he inhales
a cigarette.
he
puts it out
on her shoulder.

she?
she doesn’t flinch.
she doesn’t blink.
she doesn’t sway.

a man
the only man.
the only human.
the godly man,
he
aims.

this man
this perfect man.
this ideal man.
he?
he pulls the trigger.

a mannequin falls over.
she falls.
this inhuman thing.
this hateful creature.
this sacrilegious child.
she falls.

and the man
the only man.
this human man.
this righteous man.
he?
he laughs.