"Lilac Perfume"

Your words hang in the air,
Stilted, stifled, stigmata from your mouth,
You claim to preach the gospel,
But only lies flow through your lips

Your words hang in the air,
Little balloons of ego that float in front of your face,
Every lie, every mistake,
They taunt you as they float on the breeze

Your gaze shoots icy knives, trying to wound your words,
Shoot them down from out of the sky before they can be heard,
Before they can reveal the pain from which they were created

Your words hang in the air,
Tethered to your neck, a noose you can't outrun
The shadows don't protect your secrets
They glow like a lantern from within you

Your words hang in the air,
Like the lingering remnants of a lilac perfume,
Sweet on the surface, delicate inside,
And purple like the bruises on your soul

Christopher M Colavito