GHOSTS Chad

I was waiting for an enormous train

to pass, and I myself had passed

through annoyance to merely staring

at the rhythm of the passing train cars,

when a boy I recognized stepped deftly

between the cars to hail me.

He had come to my birthday party in 3 rd grade

he still had his very round head

with the little scar, he looked

like Charlie Brown. Through his transparent body

I could see the hopper cars barreling past.

What are you doing there Chad? I yelled out

the window, but he just waved again, and stepped

backwards into his Camaro with his friends

and everyone was cut in half again.

GHOSTS Bill

Today I saw Bill

ride by on his bike

on 10 th street

and I looked at him closely

Bill, I thought

aren’t you dead

and he looked at me

he was still sad

he was always sad

and I have to admit

the damaged make me recoil

that is a terrible thing to admit

whether to recoil out of fear

of recognition or contagion

more thought would have to be put into this

but by this time

Bill had biked on

down the street

where lots of people looked like Bill

GHOSTS Far Rockaway

He confounded the Police boat

and the Coast Guard launch

by staying drowned

while we winced beneath the very

intimate passes of the Police helicopter

over the beach. Fifteen and swept out

by a big wave on the hottest day of the year

so far. I held my hat in the air while I plunged

beneath the waves and there he was

with one finger to his lips

in the roar of the surf he waved at me and said

My mom doesn’t even know I went to the beach

GHOSTS V.

Walking past a line of people

waiting to enter a theater

I see her, hands clasped

beneath her furs, it’s V.

she hasn’t changed,

what are you doing here? I say

she turns to me and I see

how wrong it is, that she’s the same

she laughs and winks at me

and I realize what this means

she’s nowhere anymore