What if the dead came back in the tune
of your favorite song? What if they turned
up on your doorstep selling vacuums
and matchboxes that looked like bibles,
their bodies shaped like your mouth
when it presses against my skin?
(Is that still considered praying?)

What if the dead – whatever, undead –
had an appetite for lymphatic fluid
you couldn’t satiate without a bargain?
Now: how many vacuums do you think
you would purchase from dead men?
How many matchboxes would you open
expecting salvation, only to find splinters?

Riley Hart is an emerging poet and creative writing student living in California. So far her work has only appeared in The Colorado Crossing, her previous college’s student publication, after winning their annual poetry contest.