For the first Poetry Friday of May, Renato Trujillo pushes us to face our demons with "Puffs of Smoke" (from his 1987 collection Behind the Orchestra).

Please enjoy.

Puffs of Smoke

Why do our hearts throb
when it is winter in our minds
and our room reeks of indifference
and we do not even believe
in God anymore?
Through the cracks of my shutters
I see half-people walking by
unaware of their sunny steps
enclosed in winter boots.
I start my task again and gather
old newspapers,
yellowed letters with foreign stamps,
leaflets, catalogues, dictionaries,
and pile them all in the centre
of this place.
Then, striking a match,
I lie on my bed and
pretend I am asleep.