K) Dust

why did you do that
why did you strain against my love
to run through fields of barren mud
why did you fly
into the face of the sun
and whisper
into the driving rain
the names of the dead
that litter your bookcase

and on the black road to hell
you broke my back
for a cheeseburger
and a lukewarm coke
while I sat in the dust
and admired the perfection
of a glowing buttercup

while I murmured of mountains
and the terror
of deep waters
you scattered papers
across my smile
and scraped my kisses
from your estranged face

and in the burning
of a lazy afternoon
you closed up your life
and boarded the last bus
to nowhere
while I sat in the dust
without you