This poem appeared in a slightly different format in the journal Ordinary Madness (vol 1).

The Charred Mayor Meets Madam Exoskeleton

He wore a black suit to match his poor skin,
his neck crinkly and crispy around the collar,
and she strode into the room like a mechanized
weapon, clacking and clanking across the marble.

“How do you do?” wheezed the Charred Mayor,
taking Madam Exoskeleton’s rock-hard hand
and bringing it up to what was left of his lips.

“Charmed,” Madam Exoskeleton’s voice echoed
through the ridges and furrows of her gray face.
The two danced to LPs all night, blurring the line
between human and inhuman, shadow and carapace.