Communication

She purposely did not wear panties

stood above his head to pretend-adjust

the lights above.

He looked up

and wondered if he'd remembered

to turn out the lights at his house,

knowing from her smile

that he would sleep and wake

beside her again.

Hymn

Outside the window,

hymns filled the church's halls,

flowed onto the sidewalks,

into the streets.

A boy lifted his head to follow the sound

to the church window then stared at the window beside it

the one with daffodils brightly drooping against the pane.

Inside

she is sitting in yesterday's petticoat

legs raw from running

from her heart being pressed to the rotating blade of his smile

she'd sworn off 2 seasons ago.

In the winter,

as thick blood rose to the skin's surface and froze,

she thought,

This is all right. This, it's really not so bad.

'Cept now, it is summer so

it begins to thaw, as the cut reopens, the past still thick and brooding

oozing onto the hard wooden floors.

2 Cents

I ate too much

drank too much

paid too much

stayed too long

waited too long

took too long

so I thought this time,

for you,

I might try to do it right.

Tool Kit

If you must know

I'm not waiting for anyone today

The lines I drew to my center

follows me

even as I sit to avoid the sun

there isn't anyone to talk to

I slept in the same sheets since the day he left,

his dirty socks still balled up in the corner of the room

in his drawer, a "Virginia is for Lovers" t-shirt,

a pair of boxers and some grey shorts.

Everyday he becomes a little less on the sheets

Yet as for me…

I don't try to fake resilience.

It is that time of the day again

to wear my clothes inside out

to take them off the right way

And surely

there is there is a cure for this madness

as there is the feigned undying to cure

the silence of being alone.