Phantom of the Opera

is me

I'm watching

as Christine

takes her hesitant first steps

on the piano

Phantom of the Opera

can't see

the blindfold too tight

the jaw so tense

the ideas floating over their head

Phantom of the Opera

is a rogue

no monster

but an idol in Vogue

And I'm no nymph

just an afterthought

roaming the world

in hipster clothing

and mounts of powder

hiding scars of misery

Phantom of the Opera

asks questions first

Phantom of the Opera

docks her boat

through the underworld

Christine is blindfolded

and whispering through the murky stream

in the forest

But Phantom of the Opera is you

watching me

too

I cannot be Christine

My hair's too short

my eyes are too puffy

but you can be Christine

and if the boat trips and falls

into the waters

I can save you

or you save me

from the currents of the Black Sea

Demons insinuate the row we use to navigate

waters

currents and currants

in your mouth

Watch me take off the mask

and scream the darkness into your throat

Maybe a bitter seed will plant a pottery clam

a secret so mossy and glossy

with ingrown mushroom shrubs