_ _ _

~~~

she o p e n her ribs

like curtains

[ black air ]

[ seeping in ]

(—comecloser—)

the night enters barefoot,

d

r

i

p

p

i

n

g

saltwater / ash / breath

(—don’tlookbehindyou—)

h i s s k u l l

fits into her palm

—(too perfectly)—

(—youwerealwaysmine—)

as if these hands

were carved for forgetting

the temperature of s k i n

(—yourskin—)

[ the sockets ]

[ aren’t empty ]

they lead somewhere he won’t follow

(—youwill—)

she pressed her ear

to his teeth

<< h o l l o w >>

whispers:

"you have been dead longer than you think"

(—butnotlongenough—)

her mouth: dirt + candlewax

his grin: rain that falls upward

she want to crawl inside

(through the spine)

(—closetotheheart—)

s i t

where his heart used to be

& pull the strings of bone until

he dance

(—untilyoustop—)

o u t s i d e :

the sky peels like wet wallpaper

(—skin—)

i n s i d e :

her shadow holds hands with his

&

something else

s h e

c a n ’ t

n a m e

(—butitknowsyou—)