widow
w i d o w
​
she moves
like water
sensuous
grave
bringing life
to wastelands
carving canyons
you only see
in hindsight
tomorrow
t o m o r r o w​
ask me tomorrow
if I want to see
sun flow
moon drip
tide fly
​
ask me
and I’ll say
yes yes yes
I’ll never say no
ever again

decay
d e c a y
​
you told me to find a flower
and study it
like the answers to my questions
were there in the petals
so I stared and stared
but the golden ratio
didn’t tell me whywhywhy
and you said the problem
wasn’t the flower
but using my eyes
instead of my heart
absence
a b s e n c e​
​
when I told you to hug me
like you needed forgiveness
what I really meant
was forgive me
for needing so much
pennies
p e n n i e s
​
I keep a pocketful of pennies
pilfered from your pants
hoping one day
they’ll add up to something
or you’ll come back
to claim them—
take my bare arm
in your artist’s fingers
to kiss the inside
of my elbow
underside
of my wrist
like you did
all those years ago
when joy was measured
in sips of passion
from my pale skin

angel
a n g e l​
​
I close my eyes
tilt my head
just right
and hear them singing
eyes unseeing
freckled with stardust
unable to weep
for they sense as I cannot
light rising
beyond the edge
of this