Sketch One

Amass a collection of things:
shoes, glass buttons, student prints, broken cups, torn lace,
red lights, black velvet
charcoal sticks
that smear and crumble on fingers
fingertips
that smear and crumble and waste away
into such fine fine ash
It does not change.
The smile still gleams in the gelatin print
but smear and smears and stains
and wastes away into such fine fine ash
under flame.