Following the lines of the wrist
The shadows and grooves
And at a certain angle, the tendons can be seen
If you closed your fist tightly
The whites of your knuckles against flesh tones
With streaks of green blue purple
Of arteries, veins, capillaries forming a pulsing network
I like the shape of your wrists

When I swallow
My larynx constricts
There's a sharp pain at the top of my throat
I drink some water but it doesn't go away
It's as if there's an arrow through my throat
The arrow head poking out from the front
Like a pendant
You grab the end of the arrow from the back of my head
And wrenched it out

Dust, sand, pepper, I'm not too sure
Which went into my eyes but I'm tearing furiously
Through my blurred vision, I saw another
In the dark corner, with her knees to her chest
Hands covering her face
In the dark she wept
Was it you I saw or is this my reflection?

Caramel showers
Still do not wash away the
Bitterness you left

The sound of cars driving by in the distance,
The sound of trains carrying passengers,
The sound of the night breeze dancing through leaves, making them rustle.

There are no stars in sight as I stare at my blank ceiling, a single bulb in the middle, fused.
I keep my eyes open and the darkness starts to swirl, fading at the edges and congregating at random spots.
The dryness in my throat somehow spreads to my eyes.
The stinging reminds me of soot and fire.

(Remember how you burned my lungs in a forest fire?)

My eyes start to water as I fight to keep staring at the darkness.
I refuse to fall asleep.
I refuse to return to the dreams abundant with your luring smiles, plagued with your careless whispers.

I refuse to wake up from those dreams with you.
I refuse to wake up to another cold morning without you.

Neon lights paint the streets.
Iridescent. Luminous. A myriad of
Colours floods my mind. They are
Overwhelming, suffocating. I don't want it.
Listless, restless, I'm still searching for the
Echoes; the monochrome echoes of your shapeless voice.

All I am left with are
Pictures of your warm smile
A whisper of your soothing voice
An echo of your fiery feelings
A waft of your quirky humor
Memories of you and me

Awkward calls ending with burning cheeks
Time lags between morning greetings
Nights without sleep just to bring us a little closer
Unsaid understandings and silences
Hidden anticipation for the unseen future
The future of you with me

Walls, stone walls climbing as high as skyscrapers
Grey, grey upon grey, shadows and stone
A shaky breath left my lips as I looked forward.
My eyes met an endless corridor, stretching further and further
Further and further

An aching burn in my heart prompted me to keep walking
Everything was grey, it chills me to the core
An echo, a whisper of your voice
Your soothing words a gentle caress against my cheeks

"I got you. I'll be your rock."

Nails digging into my palms, I placed one foot over another, one foot over another
I told myself, we are going to make it out together.

With only my intuition as my guide, I travelled through the endless labyrinth
One day, we will find each other and make it out together.