Stranger

“Headlights” by Walter Weinschenk

Where I come from, every window
was a mirror, all the lights were smothered
under layers of clouds. I long to know
where you’re from. We light a candle
and watch the shadows rorschach
across the walls. I take off my shirt
and it’s a briar patch. Under your robe
is another robe. Our faces blanketed
by the darkness of the other’s. Did your house
have termites, the buzzing of their jaws
audible only in the quietest moments?
We fuck like animals: with teeth exposed
and hairs raised at attention. We blow
out the candle, let the smoke hover
like a fog and wrap ourselves in it. Do you
also see your face in the clarity of night?
Do you too hear gnawing in your chest?

about the Author

Matthew J. Andrews is a private investigator and writer. He is the author of the chapbook I Close My Eyes and I Almost Remember, and his poetry has appeared in Rust + Moth, Pithead Chapel, and EcoTheo Review, among others. He can be contacted at matthewjandrews.com.

about the artist

Walter Weinschenk is an attorney, writer, musician and photographer.  His visual art has appeared in Beyond Words and Eris & Eros.  In addition, Walter's poetry and prose have appeared or are forthcoming in a number of literary publications including Lunch Ticket, The Carolina Quarterly, The Worcester Review, Sand Hills Literary Magazine, Waxing and Waning, Ignatian Literary Review, and others. He is the author of The Death of Weinberg: Poems and Stories (Kelsay Books, 2023). More of Walter's literary and photographic work can be found at walterweinschenk.com.