brooklyn

brooklyn Aug 2019

a whisper into the ear of Death
and destruction rains
while she tends her garden
(the pomegranates are as sweet as ever)
chaos bringer, indeed
his power in exchange for six months of kisses
what more could a girl want?

brooklyn Aug 2019

counting to ten

one cigarette in your hand
held between *******
passed between three friends

four puffs of smoke
a high five for my first drag
six days of detention

seven kisses with the sharp taste
of the eight smokes you've already had
and nine sweet nothings that smell like tar

ten bruises in the shape of your fingerprints
and i've lost count

brooklyn Aug 2019

colorblind

the red of a matchstick head
fingernails painted orange
yellow hair streams when you run
the green of your dress
blue is clear, cloudless skies
and purple when the sun finally touches down
rainbows wherever you walk
but all i see is the grey you leave behind

brooklyn Aug 2019

my first cigarette

everyone said i'd cough
with my first drag
smoke in my lungs
nicotine in my veins
it's normal, they said.

i didn't cough.

i smoked it down to ashes
staining my fingers
staining my windowsill
silently.

brooklyn Jul 2019

when you said i love you

darling, even the sweetest things
(honey, syrup,
your love)
can fill my throat
and steal my air
until i can’t breathe

brooklyn Jul 2019

a banal tragedy

the stage is set:
one lantern, glowing softly
and one moth
the outcome is inevitable
(we pretend it’s not)
the moth flies into the light
craving the warmth of the sun
and dies
the audience weeps
end scene

brooklyn Jul 2019

a woman scorned

choke,
she says,
on death rot ruin
on the things you gave her
(the things she gives back)
hell hath no fury