A cup of wine, to help forget.
A painted mouth, to suck the poison out.
A plate of fish, for nostalgia’s sake.
A knife in your pocket, if you meet old friends.
A fistful of ergot, to go back to the garden again.
A length of rope, to climb to Heaven.
A hole in a potter’s field, should you fall on the way up.
Ashley Naftule has been published in Noisey, Phoenix New Times, The Hard Times, Rinky Dink Press, and special projects by Four Chambers Press. He can occasionally be seen out in the wild performing as an actor on Phoenix stages. His favorite Marx brother is Karl.
Twitter handle: @Emperor_norton
Blog: www.ashleynaftule.com
Occulum 