i always adored the story
of peter pan and his lost boys,
yet the ending made me ache.
it's in the moment
where he tells his darling wendy
that he'll love her forever,
in the place between sleep and awake.
i know now that i wait for you there
with my heart in my hands
beating out your name,
wondering if the whole thing
had been nothing more
than a day dream.

i begged myself not to say it
to keep the words
hidden tightly behind my lips
yet you drew them out
with each hungry kiss you stole
your name a prayer
i couldn't stop them forming
pushing their way out into existence

"i am so completely in love with you"

the moment they escaped i felt it
my breath catching in my throat
it was more of a question
than a confession
one that had been dancing
on the tip of my tongue for days

"me too, babe."

you barely let the words out
before greedily filling my mouth
with yours once more.

it wasn't your agreement
that gave me my answer
but the way that you expertly avoided
uttering the words
i needed to hear back to me.

you devoured me
so easily,
leaving me starving
for your touch
and no fruits on earth
can ease my hunger.
so tell me lover,
how does it feel
to have your teeth
in my beating heart?

there is an endless poem
burning in my throat
scratching at my bones,
keeping me awake
like a lover of the night
and it is only ever
howling your name.

you picked me up
and spread me apart
over and over
leaving your notes
in the margins
and fingerprints
on my pages.
now no matter
who reads me
all they can see is you,
staining each page
with blue ink
and a hopeful heart.

we are nothing but ghosts
yet you've stained me
like red lipstick
on fresh white linen.

your love is both
the shining altar
and the smoldering
gates of hell,
i dance between
like a woman possessed
unsure if you will save me
or devour me whole.