Thirteen Ways Of Looking At A Suicide Poem by Paul Kesler

1. Skull, face up:
Jaws gaping blankly with a desperate sound of loss.

2. Door, turned inward:
He could not escape its knowing stare.

3. Jacket, crumpled:
It lies beneath him like a wounded lover.

4. Mousehole, in corner:
Once there was a witness to this crime.

5. Candle, snuffed:
Neighbors say he wrote here, late into the night.

6. Painting, tacked to wall:
It cackled very often while he slept.

7. Telephone, ringing:
Who could be complaining at this late, dark hour?

8. A brick wall, ivy covered:
It looms outside the window; he could never see around it.

9. A small crack in plaster:
The pattern matches perfectly the crack inside his skull.

10. Piano, disused:
This conspirator despised all soloists.

11. Wristwatch, ticking:
No more deadlines, no regrets.

12. A dinner plate:
Picked bones lie here. This is not a clue.

13. Note scribbled hastily, lying near the door:
Not intended for publication.