Tattoos and piercings lodged in the weave of her becoming
A pale flame that undulates from my hips towards the ceiling
She feels like mine but is held within the darkness’ grip
Its heavy fingers printed in the slats between her ribs
I want to reach up inside and touch her deep as she can take
But the one who came before me is coiled there like a snake
Suddenly cruel, I insinuate the word ‘love’ into her ear
It is the single weapon I know that will cut into her
At the impact of my cruelty her groan shatters into a cry
And I see the truth congealed upon the mirror of her eye
Satisfied, I watch the tracking of a single salty tear
As it snakes along her cheek to hide in the hair below her ear
I apologize in a voice almost innocent of the lie
But if I couldn’t make her love me then at least I made her cry.
