each night I set fire to your skin
the torch thrown over the battlefield
ritual sacrifice, a cleanse
to enter the next fray a clean slate
you wake in the morning
and shake the ash from your hair

the hardest part of me to accept
exists on the softest part of your body
written in the thinnest skin
where the bones in your wrist
distort my name

you'll learn
to swallow your fears like wine
and savor the burn in the back of your throat

My mind is wrapped around you
in the way I wish my arms were
I wish my lips were pressed against the scar
on the bridge of your nose
in the way my heart is pressed against
the inside of my chest
I want to feel your hair between my fingers
to feel your teeth set against my skin
God only knows that your hands
are woven through the bone cage of my ribs
and your teeth cut deep into the flesh of my soul
eons ago

I’ve developed a taste
for dark chocolate
for cherries and blood oranges
Things I never imagined I would crave
in the same way
I long for you

teach me how to hunt
hold my hand, take me with you
show me your world
I want to hear the snap of a bowstring
in the silent forests
I’ve tasted the sting of an arrow’s head
I know how true they fly
they know exactly where to strike
who knew
that the softest plate in my armor
was just over my heart

We’re all bound together, he says
This little red thread between my fingers
And yours
And his
Caught between who you are
Who you were
And maybe who you could be
He kisses me through the web
Through the tangle of crimson silk
Sipping wine from my lips
Offering blood in return, despite his preference
for
flesh