you keep asking why I didn’t
hit you up, call you back
left you on read

like what was i thinking?
don’t i love you?
i was focused on the what ifs instead

like what if this is pointless
and we fight for nothing
are we loving only to lose?

i’m just not sure what i want
i am not doing this
just to hurt you

.
                                     please
                            i said please
            why didn't you listen?
                                                         ­                i swear i didn't hurt you
                                                             ­            that'd hurt me
                                                              ­           too
                                          but
                            you hurt me
    why would i lie about that?
                                                           ­              it was supposed to feel good
                                                            ­             at least it was for
                                                             ­            me

remember when
you told
you wrote that
beautiful song
for me
& only me---
your
"only one''?

WELL

I'm willing
to bet
you don't
remember
that you had already
showed it to me,
saying it was
for HER.

                                    - YOU WERE IN LOVE WITH THE IDEA OF
                                       LOVE, NOT ME

over the decades,
her books became
such a part
of her

that
the ink
somehow escaped
her veins

& bloomed
her favorite
words & images
onto her skin.

Now
the world
would have
no doubt:

she
was the
pagebound
girl.

                                 - PAGE TO SKIN