the ugliness I embrace

again and again

I revisit this place

it is familiar in every way

the touch of the wooded floors and furniture

the scent of metal

taste of chemical

dark light covers me

shaded thoughts ravage me

it is a war between what could be and what may be inevitable

so

I might as well

settle down

sink into a soft red couch

exhale the smoke

accept this life

my life

sweet-head

 

magic laugh

inflammatory thoughts speeding through the

frontal

cortex

wet and heavy

lips protrude and tingle

eyes flit, palpitating,

gasping heart

it hurts.

this beauty is not mundane, daily life

his lashes are dizzy

whap oxygen from my lungs

pulsating capillaries

so pure in his skin

grasp his hands and hold for warmth

fingernails I want to bite, gently

kiss his cheekbone, sweetly

hold his chest closely to mine until there is no room for

error

and love him

until he, too

feels the ache.

natural cruelty

 

failure

is a hooded figure waiting

after running three hundred miles

approach the finish line with expectant relief

failure grasps your hand without warning

scolds you

how dare you assume you were guaranteed?

then proceeds to push you back

to run the race again