when a poet falls in love with you
you can never die
they will notice the way
you rub your palms and look down
when someone is angry at you
and the way you smirk
as you pull away from a kiss

they will notice how you can't sleep
without your body touching someone else's
how you never crease any pages of books
and how you close your eyes when you dance in your kitchen
with your record player on

they will find all of the words
that they see you as
and turn them into something beautiful

people say you die twice
once when you stop breathing
and when someone says your name
for the last time

if you fall in love with a poet
they will never stop
mentioning your name
you will be alive
for eternity

Did you really think
a rose like me
with thorns like mine
would not cut you
whilst you held me

i was an empty
adolescent stem
filled with nothing but
hope and time
and it was you
that pulled these thorns
out of me
to fill me with
constant loneliness
you made it so
i pushed people away
with my thorns
but you were the one
that put them there

so now
above all the damage
are red petals
that fall with
every thorn you touch
as you uncover
and cut yourself on me
the beauty dies
and all that's left
is pain