Phantomology: The Codex
Here is a look at the personal side of the phantom phenomenon.

The Phantom Race

Phantom parts
Of limbs long gone,
From the king, the bishop
Or the pawn,
Get together
Once a year,
To talk about
Their phantom fear.

They discuss
The sudden separation,
And the lack
Of proper preparation,
From a scene
Of undue stress,
To a place considered
As nothingness.

Unlike their matching
Physical twins,
Phantom parts
Accrue no sin,
There’s no divorce
And no one’s married,
All that stuff
Was properly buried.
So it’s pretty much
A hang-out place,
For the members of
The phantom race.

The Sum Of Many Portions

Phantom gals
And phantom guys,
Cruise around
The friendly skies,
Invisible to
The unknowing,
Increasingly
Their numbers growing.

Now phantom folks
Rather often,
Come from more
Than just one coffin,
The sum of many
Body portions,
Put together
Despite distortions.

So just because you can not see
You have to be aware,
No matter where you go today
A phantom may be there.

Fibrillate; 8/92