By Rena Rossner

It’s a minefield of regret
strewn with corpses of thought
a place where time
gathers in the hollows
and tattered curtains hang
in neglected corridors
the leprosy of cracked wallpaper
afflicts the mind

rusted slides
mildewed rollercoasters
dusty schooldesks
a piano with a broken leg
the loneliness of a smashed vanity mirror

it rains in eaves of light
downpours in the stairwells
derelict inner doors to the sanctum
rot unhinged

beauty in decay
a momento mori of matter
I mourn myself

Rena Rossner lives in Jerusalem and studied writing at Johns Hopkins University and McGill University. She is currently a literary and foreign rights agent. Her work deals with the place where Jewish themes meet magical realism, mysticism and sex. You can see more of her work at www.renarossner.com