And all gold wiped clean of
The oil of touch smoothed of
The scratches of lust
will be buried in vaults
will become numbers in a ledger
will be itemized in last testaments

And each Valentine
signed in crayon or tears
In postscripts of poetry
will be pressed between magazines
will be lost in the next move
will be set alight after one bad night

And every mountain of granite
Of sandstone cutting canyons
Construct of permanence
will become gravel
will become sand
will wash away in summer rain

Michael Wayne Hampton is the author of three books, and his work has appeared in numerous publications such as decomP, McSweeney’s, and Atticus Review. He can be reached via his website michaelwaynehampton.com or on Twitter at @motelheartache.