The Driftwood Review

Kristine Ong Muslim

Death of a Soul

        "Vainly he sought, by tracing life backward in memory, to reproduce the moment of his sin...."
            - Ambrose Bierce, "The Death of Halpin Frayser" (1893)

        I observe it
        December-pale, its voice
        just above a whisper.
        I may want it back--rust and all--
        but for now, I hope to hear it gasp,
        to slash its pockets empty,
        to sprinkle its mouth with salt.