The ghost inspects his body sprawled
on the bed, as twisted as the sheets
winding above and below his legs,
as though a preparation for the tomb . . .

the ghost never liked this body: too
skinny when young, too fat as it aged,
and he had never been aware of an
appropriate weight, similar to never

being aware of adequate knowledge.
The ghost now understands contentment
failed this body also; indeed a certain
blandness appeared to affix itself to this

poor flesh as it lived. It looks much more
interesting now, on the bed, since it serves
as an exclamation mark, a statement,
concerning how the soul goes on after

the body itself ceases. The ghost caresses
the head of this poor body, dear thing, already
starting to unravel, no doubt, truly the brethren
of the earth, not the sky, only a mark, not the sky.

Ward Kelley has seen more than 1100 of his poems appear in journals world wide. A Pushcart Prize nominee, Kelley's publication credits include such journals as: ACM Another Chicago Magazine, Rattle, Zuzu's Petals, Ginger Hill, Sunstone, Spillway, Pif, The Rose & Thorn, 2River View, Melic Review, Thunder Sandwich, The Animist, Offcourse, Potpourri and Skylark. Recently he was the recipient of the Nassau Review Poetry Award for 2001. Kelley is the author of two paperbacks: "histories of souls," a poetry collection, and Divine Murder, a novel; he also has an epic poem, "comedy incarnate" on CD and CD ROM.

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