there are over one million words in the english language

but when you told me you loved me
last november
i couldn't form a clear thought
i couldn't even nod my head

let alone say it back

Never befriend a snake
yet I befriended you

It is a rainy evening.
The tires on the car aren't
New.
I won't use my phone; you're
Driving.
You should have been home.
Not yet late enough for me to
Allow myself to worry properly,
But I stand by the window for
One tenth-of-a-second
With the feeling of a toddler
That suddenly realizes
As the sun sets between trees
That it cannot hear their
Voices any more.
At all.

I envy thou, artist.
You glide across the page
creating the very image
I have wanted to make.
You show people the world,
the place you wish to see,
the man you wish to be.
You portray well, your all.
A smear of colour,
a blot of paint
is enough to turn the demon to saint.
All with a mere stroke.
Hence, I am in awe
of the power you hold,
of the artwork so bold.
Yes, I am in awe.
And this is why dear artist.
This is how
I envy thou.
Envy thy gift. Envy thy talent.

he sat naked and drunk in a room of summer
night, running the blade of the knife
under his fingernails, smiling, thinking
of all the letters he had received
telling him that
the way he lived and wrote about
that--
it had kept them going when
all seemed
truly
hopeless.

putting the blade on the table, he
flicked it with a finger
and it whirled
in a flashing circle
under the light.

who the hell is going to save
me? he
thought.

as the knife stopped spinning
the answer came:
you're going to have to
save yourself.

still smiling,
a: he lit a
cigarette
b: he poured
another
drink
c: gave the blade
another
spin.

Breathe in-2-3, out-2-3
Your eyes snap open
Sweat beads your forehead
You feel the cold circle
Of a gun against your temple.

Breathe in-2-3, out-2-3
Your eyes squeeze close
Your finger tightens on the trigger
Will you be strong enough?
But then you stop.

Breathe in-2-3, out-2-3
Your eyes open in wonder
Your shoulders slump
The gun lays forgotton on the table
A warm hand covers yours.

Breathe in-2-3, out-2-3
Your eyes close slowly
Your lips touch
Warmth surrounds you
The world is comforting again.