Over cheesecake and wine
You confessed how you felt like ****
Giving off the illusion of gold
You opened up like a fragile eggshell
Not realizing your cracks were unique
That your two halves could make a whole
That the process is delicate but doable.

The exorcist spat out unsatisfied souls,
Steadfastly chained to breathing bodies,
Convincing the living that,
The dead haunt us.

But, when I examine autopsies,
I observe granular goosebumps,
Rising from sunken skin,
Scientifically speaking,
Corpses confirm the opposite:
Life haunts death.

You said “Marry me.”
By making it a statement,
You left me no choice.

Checker-boarding across countries,
I tuck my loneliness into my suitcase,
Neatly fold her between a cardigan and khakis,
Thinking that maybe if I’m lucky,
She’ll follow suit of my favorite sweater,
Last pictured in Lima,
And get lost.

I sing my succulents to sleep
Sip teacups brimming with cold water
House fifteen strays who have forgotten how to purr
Because not everything needs to make sense
And in these oddities I find the strength
To rationalize your death.

Wash
         Away the memories of how
        We tangled together
        Like the perfect sailor’s knot
        An organized intricacy  
        Coalescing my jumpy nerves
        With your easy laughter
Rinse
        The weight of your fingers
         Imprinted on my scalp
         A heartbreaking muscle memory
        Fingers that once ran through my hair
        Run to another’s touch
Repeat
        *This sadistic cycle of erasure
         Hoping one day forgetting
         Won’t be a conscious thought
         That shower shall set me free.

I was always curious about love,
But it was my caution I couldn't get rid of,
After all, curiosity killed the cat,
And I rather leave my head and heart intact,
But then you came skipping along,
Hated that my soul burst into a Bollywood song,
Stifling the feelings just didn't seem right...  
So, yeah, how about a date Friday night?