hollow
i have been to the dimly lit rooms and to the unlit rooms
and stood with hot crowds in a throbbing din.
i have been led by spirits and gone home empty and smelling of smoke.

i have seen men push to talk to the pretty girls,
while the ugly wonder what's wrong with them,
while couples grope desperately in dark corners.

fat man licks lips and counts coins, laughs silently.
we sell our souls and with the proceeds bribe unfaithful spirits indeed,
and in an enlightened haze, make secret treaties.

i have seen the hustling, the pushing of product.
caveat emptor. quid quid latet apparebit.
i have seen that the slick packages are empty.

i know enough and i have been and have seen enough.
dragon's breath fills my lungs and i have seen how deep it goes.
burning me from the inside, hollowing me out.
 

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