guardian of the temple.
(go before me.)
showing your teeth,
(god willing)
the streetlight is flooding
(and you’ll probably)
the banks of the lane.
(will all end someday)
pockmarked, well-worn,
(just know that this)
like your face.
(I won’t keep you,)
life has been tough
(I won’t pry anymore.)
for you hasn’t it?
Rock ‘Pigpen’ Madigan is a writer originally from Chicago. His creative writing and poetry has been published in a number of small publications, including Pilcrow and Dagger, After Hours (Chicago), and Willard and Maple (Vermont).