the metal from your spit drips into my mouth;
the poison burns like two silver blades at war.
in the flames i think this is what forever feels like.
the curve of your neck, cobblestone and dirt.
a road illuminated only by your pearl skin; my lips follow down to hell.
the bed we lay on is stained by the blood of the tree, the axe your hand.
i let it in as the earth trembles in defiance, and all the world weeps for little deaths.
i begin to fall asleep into an empty mirror, frozen black and wet.
i float atop and reflect your eyes, two golden coins paying my fare.
i near the gates and drop my voice.
can i be your man here?
shame has been a lover, loneliness a mistress.
their numbers both carved into my back; with your ink tongue you overwrite them.
the prayers i repeat are bruises on my knees, your name is inscribed on my palms.
in these linen caves there is no past to protect, no future to create.
nothing is real here except the smell of your hair and the calcium in your teeth.
your shadow follows mine, and we do not exist.
we are impermanently alive and permanently beautiful.
hold my hand. we are the only two people in the world.
i want to cook you dinner i want to drink wine i want to kiss you on the lips.
i open the blinds and the sun doesn’t rise.
no one is watching us this time.