i watched you
swim at
dusk
shadows shrouding
ripples made,
your form faded
beneath,
to reappear as
fireflies
sprinkled over
violet
lake.
shadow work
time loops around
my neck
cinching closer
with each
breath,
now picturing a
vacant beach
where one may
exhale in
peace.
it took abandoning
closeness
to appreciate the
distance
between self and
all needs
that keep me clutching
at weeds.
behind the
screen
i don’t
tan,
rather, my skin
sheens
blue
like lonely
skies
do.
heed my lone prayer on
sunday morning
and i’ll carry
you to
bed,
never fully
knowing
why you choose to
guard your
speech,
quiet ‘tween the
creases,
your breath still
on my teeth.
i concede
i love your sound
but can’t coax you
to sing now,
you turn from the
microphone
as though you
stand here all alone.
don’t latch
on
for i may
let go
the moment your
nails dig
deep,
i’m not prepared to
be reopened,
not whole enough
to fall with
you.
sweat dripping on
the same
tile
in a basement
gutted
by blades of the
concealed,
recalling just
how it felt
to wander its
confines
with a clear
mind
and tales
to tell.
i was hushed..
just in time..
to spare the flowers
my burning
breath,
and watched them
grow beyond
common
size
in a vase,
hand made..
with love..
by you.
be my last
dance
in the flame
room,
won’t let your
plush hair
brush the
dirt,
should we flee
in time
to escape
night,
may we find
our truth
or
worse?
hands in the garden 
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