Tonight, walking back from dinner
I asked my friend the magician
if he wanted to see where I used to live.
He was amenable, and so we made our way there
to the tower surrounded by crepe myrtles
to see the garden scoured, lights on
and my eel-skin cowboy boots hung up on posts..

I went up to the door and put my face to
the diamond shaped place where the glass is gone
and saw dogs in the hall and the doors open.
I scared the man who came out
but he let us in anyway.

He tells me that after the destruction
of the marble hearths, he had been installed
to guard the house against any further desecration.
All the security guards hired by the city have quit,
and the guy house-sitting before him
ran off back to Eunice, LA scared out of his wits.

He tells me the third floor is terrible haunted.
My old apartment, in particular.
This doesn’t surprise me, exactly-
as I knew what would happen to the ghosts
when I had to go..
And what with all the raping and scraping
in the heart and soul of the place
it’s no wonder they are a mite disturbed.

The place has always been haunted, of course
but now- they’re pissed.
I’m not around to talk to and placate them,
and crackheads have come in and stolen their glory.
Hell, I’d be pissed too. I am, in fact- very.
He says it sounds like someone is rolling
a bowling ball up and down the floor,
heavy thuds and creakings-
and screeching sounds coming from the icebox!
Also, it’s awful cold up there, and only up there.
At one point, we heard a crash-
the guy leapt up, pulling a gun from his pants
and ran into the hall..
He’s got to sleep in that big empty hull
alone every night.
At least he’s got his gun, and his dogs..
I wonder how long he’ll last-
he seemed pretty freaked out.

I feel so bad for them.
My friends, the ghosts-
I was just getting to know the soldier
in his brown uniform and golden hair.
I’m not the only one that met him..
And all those others,
the sea-captain’s daughters..
But I do feel like somehow
I’m the only one that could
make that house right again.
The guy said they had talked about getting
a priest to do it, but decided he would
probably only molest the spirits.
I don’t want to go back up there-
but I will, you know.