I do not have much
Of your arms, or legs
Or fingers,
Enclosed,
Or opened wide
I do not have much of your naked eyes
Pooling wet around the green,
Specked with golden fireflies
I have not many of your lines,
Remembered well
Much less memorized
Much better
Is every word you tried
To skip across to me
A smooth stone from the lakeside
So that maybe
I could see the signs,
Come to know your heart
In my own way,
On my own time
Once I settled in with the crickets
To play the flute in our goodbye,
The saddest melody,
My only lullaby

Loose ends so frayed,
Tie mine,
And I’ll tie yours tight
I’ll cauterize the fibers,
So they stick together
Like kisses on a humid night
We swirl, and combine in a bowl
Raw sugar and spice
Wrap up together and find answers in time

I’d love a neat little package
With our names scratched on the wrapping
Telling the story of us
How only now
We’ve just figured out
We’re in love

As soon as I left,
I’ve seen you every day since
If I warm the bottle in my hand,
Slowly take a sip
I can still hear the river at night
Taste the juniper on your lips
That nervous glass would have me fooled
Shaking,
And just as full to the edge
With things to give only if
We’d allow ourselves to

I’d never heard anyone
Call you by your full name like that
And standing between the tall terraced houses,
I swore I could see your eyes through the cracks
The gaps in the brick
This crushing weight I feel could surely cave in my chest
The flower pots laugh and tell me I’m a mess,
I soak the leather seats
Wishing I was soaking in your breath
And if you were a fish in a tank,
I’d beat on the glass until my knuckles bled
And if you were deep inside the earth,
I’d find a way to make them bury me
Whether through feigning,
Or truly being dead

I cut into our tie,
So thin and wire fine,
But thick and heavy as an iron rope
Frozen,
And expertly sewn together
Reinforced and broken one too many times
The scar tissue,
Now ruining my life
Preventing the truth of your heart,
And the freedom of mine
I slip in my sweat,
Each and every night
Going at the tether again
With a dull and desperate knife

If I’m a waste of time,
Then you’ve had a lot of quick wins
You must have put a lot of ends
On your dime
If I’m a waste of time,
Then you’re a sewer swallowing soap
Mouthful by mouthful
You bubble up
If I wasn’t worth the mere seconds you spared,
Caring for my heart
Or tangling your hands in my hair,
Then the letdowns you’ve seen must block the sun
Towering high,
Becoming one
Because if my undying love,
My tears and torn throat
My nails on your back
Entire nights on the phone
Every train I that took,
Your favorite boots that you own
Were a waste of your time
I’m sure your ticker is broke

A shoot and miss in the dark,
I try to guess your thoughts
Hope it won’t hurt but will burn just enough
I beg you through silence and telephone lines
You take a shy bow,
And blow out three dozen lights
Grind me down ‘till I’m powder fine
Holding so steady and strong,
I beg you to try
Hold me close
Kiss me goodnight

A full body, lilac blush
I look for new summer leaves
To crush,
Under my zealous feet
I look for ways to bait you
So you’ll notice my purple hue
As I refuse to breathe
Refuse to move
Plant my heels in the burning sand
To match your working boots
Hold a heavy mirror to
All it could’ve been
Simply the same animal, we are
In the end

The rain said to the tree,
“You’ve taken my heart,
Will you marry me?”
And the tree looked down
To the earth at his feet
And he said
“I love you too,
But there’s a problem you see
Some days I see the sky blacken and shake
And you become a hurricane
In that state, you destroy me
Tear up my roots,
Rip away my leaves
You water the ground,
You give me all that I need
Shower life upon my seeds
But I am scared to open upon to thee
To be strong in your raging wind
And give you my everything”

Just a simple flick of your tongue in your wrist
To purge your mouth of all of this
To let you pretend that you forget
You tease me only to justify it
How you get set on fire
It’s easy to fib when you’re a ***** liar
But I love you so
Let’s find a high rise up in Toronto
Promise to hold me tight,
I’d do it for you, though I hate the snow  
Make sealed promises
See how it goes

You’re bitter,
So you won’t pick up your phone
Is it the principle?
Or would you rather be alone?
I know I’m a whole lot
To swallow in one pill
But you made a promise
Keep it in your pocket
Or at least keep it close
Your silence at my spite is all I need
To know we love each other still

I poured a bucket of rain water
Straight onto your bed
And as it all seeped
Down into the sheets
I was left with pebbles in the end

Baby I suppose
I’d rather be soaked
Than suffer in the drying sun
Or never have known

Even clues that aren’t about you,
You apply them to us
So I guess I don’t have to worry about the digs I drop
For you to find in the moss

Lover, I thought my life was going to melt
And fall off the bone
Instead it flashed before my eyes,
Now I’d rather be alone