Shadow Man by Michael Keshigian

His life was about darkness, 

occupying a home with dim lights,

rooms with curtains closed,

in the company of people 

who dissolved into the 

embracing fingers of night 

even as he observed.

His voice projected a guttural timbre, 

his dilemmas as black as the holes 

that perplexed space.

The leaves on the trees, 

spotting his yard,

were covered with soot,

he mowed decaying grass.

Friends that visited 

drove black limousines

and parked them, after dusk,

in front of his secluded house.

Coins turned to creosote 

when he kept them in his pocket

and he would dream of ocean depths,

where no sunlight penetrated 

to illuminate a path of hope.

Even the coffins in the storage area

with their fancy trim,

spoke in undertones

and buried themselves continually

in patches of black dirt.

Michael Keshigian had his twelfth poetry collection, Into The Light, released in April, 2017 by Flutter Press  (https://www.createspace.com/7037872). He has been published in numerous national and international journals including Oyez Review, Red River Review, Sierra Nevada College Review, Oklahoma Review, Chiron Review and has appeared as feature writer in over a twenty publications with 6 Pushcart Prize and 2 Best Of The Net nominations. (michaelkeshigian.com)