owls in willow trees
saddest of images to me


owls in willow trees
softened broken limbs in me


owls in willow trees
let mossy scars all over me


owls in willow trees
night windows time in me


owls in willow trees
now have nothing to do with me


owls in willow trees
where I have been arrives in me


owls in willow trees
more than many of each of me


owls in willow trees
past beyond memory me


owls in willow trees
now there is enough of me

You were broken when I met you.
I didn't realize the extent.
When I pulled back from our embrace,
I was covered in blood...both yours and mine.
Yours from previous violence,
and mine from your jagged edges.
You could provide no treatment,
no care or sutures for either of our wounds,
and I was unable to stop the bleeding,
untrained in that kind of repair.
I bled for a long time.
Still bleeding, if I'm honest.
I've kept it undercover,
masked with bandages and gauze.
I've applied pressure, but it remains.
The blood still trickles. The pain persists.
I don't know if your injuries have healed,
as our damages carried us apart.
Too weak to reach out, I can only wonder.
Can only ask myself the questions,
lament the answers I've realized are true,
and carry on with the regret.
These wounds are overdue to be closed.
I think it's time I learned to sew.
To finally stop the bleeding.

i can tie my shoes
all by myself
am i all grown up yet?

i ate a whole subway sandwich
without ever putting it in the fridge
am i all grown up yet?

i cried on the bathroom floor
at my first party
am i all grown up yet?

i held the pieces of my heart
in my hands
am i all grown up yet?

i wish i was a kid again
not knowing how to tie my shoes,
and taking three days to finish a sandwich.
going to parties that still served fruit punch
and believing in true loves kiss.

i think that means i'm all grown up, now.

this doesn't sound like an opening line
a line that seems off follows it
this train of thoughts doesn't have any cars
just skeletons

but as you look out the window
and see the empty train
pass by
you might have an idea

for a better closing line

when did "want" become "need"
when did "bye" become "****"

when did "kisses" become "breathing"
when did "leaving" become "drowning"

i want to read you the poems i wrote you
so you can hear them in my voice
as it cracks in all the places you broke me
and blooms in all the places you loved

i want your head to rest on my shoulder
so you know where you are welcome
and your hand to be in mine
so you know where you are wanted

i want to read them in your room
so we can be in the place i fell in love with you
and i want the room to be filled with your thoughts
so you know how

always a tear
falls
drawn toward the earth

for what is crying,
if not growing

his smile:
as tight as his belt
her lips:
as red as her throat

and it makes them more noticed,
but no less alone