Joshua Gage

humid evening
two beads of red
over the TNT bunkers

— Joshua Gage

marriage bed

the softness of the pillow

as he stops kicking

— Joshua Gage

Joshua Gage

chuckling goat…
a spatter of blood stains
her pink lace bra 

— Joshua Gage

mothballs…

the weight of the demon

squat on my chest

— Joshua Gage

Joshua Gage

charnel mist 
the ether of lightning
stirs our leeches

— Joshua Gage

Pasul Bârgău

our unburied child

whimpers a lullaby

— Joshua Gage

Joshua Gage

the baby’s fingers
waving goodbye…
disemboweled nun

— Joshua Gage

laudanum

the keloid scar

around her neck

— Joshua Gage

Joshua Gage

wax poppet
the taste of her
after the miscarriage

— Joshua Gage

replacement nanny

bloody feathers cling

to her mohair shawl

— Joshua Gage

Joshua Gage

blood moon
the witchfinder’s granddaughter
chants in Latin

— Joshua Gage

family crypt

the iron spike 

in the witch’s skull

— Joshua Gage 

Joshua Gage

bonfire
the shriek of the witch
as the nails sink in

— Joshua Gage 

haunted house

the spectre’s reflection

in my Bordeaux

— Joshua Gage

Joshua Gage

volcano ash
on the VHS tape
worn static

— Joshua Gage 

typhoon

the secrets my dead wife

whispered to the waves

— Joshua Gage

Joshua Gage

travel-worn cloak
the rasp of a whetstone
against his scythe

— Joshua Gage

Joshua Gage

abandoned lab
the baying hounds
lead the mob

— Joshua Gage

Joshua Gage

St. Rita’s Day
the cemetery angel
weeps blood

— Joshua Gage

Joshua Gage

wolf’s bane
beneath the full moon
a Romani fiddle

— Joshua Gage

Joshua Gage

waning moon
the scrape of shovels
from the potter’s field

— Joshua Gage

Joshua Gage

crossroads
the full moon
through an empty noose

— Joshua Gage

Joshua Gage

abbey ruins
descending the staircase
a gaunt shadow

— Joshua Gage

Joshua Gage

filigreed moon 

the rattle of dirt

on his coffin

— Joshua Gage

Joshua Gage

anniversary
of my wife’s death 
a rattling door knob

— Joshua Gage

Joshua Gage

full moon
a tendril of mist
through the bedroom keyhole

— Joshua Gage

Joshua Gage

jabs of straw
from the cell’s padding
the itch of leather

— Joshua Gage

Joshua Gage

airbnb
the smell of bitter almonds
in my evening tea

— Joshua Gage