Empty Closets

Empty Closets by Odin Roark How empty the content Delusion's walk-in closet Hideaway's glory Filled to burst Collected identities Acquired by proxy Guarded by duplicity's two-edge sword Honed by loneliness Obsessive darkness Filled with fantasized self-esteem Like titanium power clubs Cradled in his and her golf bags Overcrowding the weekend corner Opposite nook Knee-high leather boots and riding crop Squeezed against stolen lawn jockey statue Draped with fading award sashes and ribbons A brittle rose wreath Once drenched in winner's circle sweat Now but an ever-withering benchmark A once decorative memento For glory's insatiable ego Such becomes Yesterday's self-worth Today's self-loathing Some day's garage sale Junk heaps growing Behind garish symbols of self-deception Stacked boxes of innocence gathering dust Memorabilia of childhood Forgotten memories of broken in mitt Paper dolls and Eloise dreams Varsity jacket and autographed pigskin All honesty's once joyful rewards Stashed away Remaining aware And wondering In the closet's darkest corner A stalwart broom stands at the ready Its gallant sweep-it-away tradition Remains anxiety's go-to warrior Merely biding its time Awaiting the door to open And...