Ode to Ghosts
“There’s always someone younger and hungrier coming down the stairs after you.”
– Showgirls
To the ghost shepherding a motorcycle into the guard rail at night
A ghost pulling me by my ears with a red convertible
To the ghost of a professional wrestler at my grandfather’s funeral
And the ghost blowing bubbles at my sister’s wedding
To the ghost of Judy Garland that gums wet sponges in a nightgown
And a ghost with pockets of peanuts and grass clippings
The ghost dying eggs with fruit punch in the bingo hall
A ghost wearing a gold nugget and plastic lungs on the Vegas Strip
To the ghost carrying a Yorkie in her neon arms
Living ghost that forgets it’s a ghost but remembers my father’s name
The ghost of a carousel horse refusing to say grace
To the nearly ghost watching Purple Martins in the sky’s mouth
The ghost that’s the brother of a saint
The ghost with a habit of betting on saints
To the ghost that filled shoes with bounced checks
The ghost that hid her emeralds on a skiff
A ghost that built a family out of smoke
A ghost that made magic out of silence
Kyle Snyder lives in Cleveland, Ohio with his partner and three cats. His poetry has been featured in The Westchester Review, SAND, GASHER, Stoneboat Literary Journal, and other publications.