cycle

it’s hard to believe i am wanted
when layers of me shed from deep within each month,
eager to escape what’s inside

traces of what has been freed at last
leave rusted marks on my thighs
a perverse, bloody trail leading away from a life forgotten,
a life unlived and unlivable

this contract we sign at birth 
— to beget and abandon —
hangs over my brow like a burgundy veil
dark and earthy, sickly sweet

is it rebirth or endless death?
a cyclical destruction of walls built
to protect the vulnerable pearls that lie in waiting, endlessly

knowing what i will continue to lose,
do you still want me?

Validation

I’ve been seeking validation from a bottomless well
Dropping words and notes like leaves
Wondering if anyone will watch 
their never-ending descent

Not Yours

I feel you wishing these words were written with you dancing 
in the back of my mind

Your sweet voice coaxing 
line after line
from the tip of my tongue

You see yourself in the shattered mirrors
hidden between the lines
But these turns of phrase
belong to me

a request (2)

Smooth out my rough edges
Let the sharpness leak out like a punctured yolk
Spilling out between your fingers
Sticky and sweet

7/30/20

a request (1)

Wrap me in clouds, cover my skin with dew
Mold me into something gentle, something soft
Like fresh clay, wet and red and new

7/30/20