The Black Dog and Goat

by Forrest DePoy

Streetlights go out along an endless black road

Crunch through leaves, inside the forest you see

The skeleton of a house, much older than bones

Broken glass pops but the woods are silent

The moon is dim but you see a room much darker

A tight bathroom where the wall has fallen out

Blood in the toilet, burnt hair in the sink, and two candles still lit

You follow the song of distant moving planks

The shadows in the corner offer you a mask

They don the black dog, and you the goat

Together you bring a gift fit for a king

The popping and cracking of children roasting