My Untouchable Face

A drowned girl
turns the most
ethereal shade of blue.
You’re almost sorry
you held her head
under so long.

I wean myself from lovers by sucking stones.
Just once, I wish the polished discs would break,
fill my mouth with colors instead of incantations

The violence of light
ending in a field.
The blue smell
of darkness
the wind carries.
The rending of the sky
by the movement
of crows.

My love soars
to the very marrow of heaven
and, there, it is buried
in a hole so deep
no one in their right mind would ever look for it.
I wrap it in white linen
just as I would wrap a lover or an enemy.
I trash it after everyone is gone.
I feel like hell
but I still have my sense of humor.
You always underestimate me, my love.
But I am the one who warns you to beware
of friends bearing gifts of sleep…
or smiles…
or peace.

They will steal your face.
They will bury you in rust.

these demons have been
lurking in me
for centuries

you’re the match

i’m the gasoline

hell with her
is better than
heaven with you

you talk softly
about spreading light
after you leave the room
darkness follows

I would rather have been
a finer grain of intoxicant,
enough to fuel moon rockets
beneath your skin.

You would rather have dared
to reach for more meaning,
holding out the courage of a straw man
playing with matches.

words eaten away
to less than letters