Love at Death's Pace
Trauma had alreadytaken her lifemany timesbefore,
but this love called,& she finallywanted to buryherself,
laying the unworthinessthat rung in herears torest,
more life seemedlike a threatto the plans thatdeath arrangedin herbrain.
--
Life froze,while death learnedto pace aroundher chest.
She always made roomfor it,at her worst &at her best,
tucking it in at nightwith a kiss,giving it hercomforter to borrow,
hoping that shewould embrace itwhile wakingtomorrow.
she wanted to stareit in the eyes,to break away fromher flesh.
clocks didn't exist
because day andnightfall were onein the same,
the sun wasn'ther friend becauselight was flames,trees were matches
and the birds?
witnesses.
There was no sky.
--
she learned to prayfor death becausehe taught her to,
stopping to see itup close rightaround the block,
as he sped, racing,not caring if hekilled them,
saying thiswith madness in hisshoulders.
death ran throughhis veins,
that's why she diedwith her eyes open,in love,
regularly,hopefully,hopelessly.
--
he used his gripto flirt withher death,
flashing memoriesof trauma beforeher eyes.
Death had nodisguises,just differentphases & forms,
he sketched one onhis arm witha knifewhile staringher in the face,
saying he caredonly aboutbeing lifeless.
--
he killed spiritsof the living& the dead,
becoming the deathwish that her painsought,
learning to bea reckless monsterthat threw wordsat everyone,
hoping to high-fivethe devil, whilemaking fire ofhearts.
--
she was cold.
--
he taught herhow to worshipher death,
turning lifelessnessinto her purpose,something likehis own,
she was no longera person,
just misery andbones with skinthat cowered atthe bat of any eye.
she wanted no oneto see how herweariness
choked her,spat her out,& left her
crying in corners,anywhere.
--
when she came backto herself,
all she could dowas try to dig thelife out of her,
hoping that itwas still breathing.