invisible ghosts [updated]
every city is inhabited by ghosts
the older the city
the more stable the population
living and dead
but while all cities
possess ghosts
only stable old cities
are possessed by ghosts \
newer cities
unstable cities
are as ghost haunted as the old cities only their ghosts are invisible
ghosts need the living in order to be seen
they need the memories and tears of those still alive
to bind them to the souls still trapped in corporeal form
without those memories
the ghosts
fade from view
out of mind
out of sight
so modern streets
are choked
with invisible spirits
none of whom
are known by a living soul
in old cities
ancient cities
where family roots
run deep
and intertwine with history
the ghosts always find
a sympathetic mind
to invoke them
to evoke them
but modern cities spring up overnight
their living spaces filled with transients
their families surging and splitting
mating and divorcing
blood relations vanishing
in a heartbeat
their ghosts reflect that
(or rather, fail to reflect it)
old bonds are dissolved
old times are forgotten
old names remain unspoken
and without even
ineffable invocations
the ghosts cannot
materialize
so they haunt their old homes
unknown and untethered
forgotten phantasms
doomed to limbo
there are worse things than being alive
text © Buzz Dixon