Rosary

I want to bestow

a trail of kisses

down your throat

like a rosary.

every kiss

a Hail Mary

you are safe,

and every gesture

an Our Father,

a deterrent

to those who

seek to harm you,

and I include you too

in that category.

your mind looks

like the pews

of the only church

you’ve ever felt home in.

the paint’s chipped,

and the prayer books

have seen better days,

but the stained glass

was woven of sunlight

and the night sky

is the ceiling.

you send your songs up

to the Big Dipper,

pleading with the North Star

to light the way

out of your personal hell hole

to home.