I glow
without
you.

The ice in her latte melts
slowly and I chew the rhubarb
pie thoughtfully, wondering if I
care for a response. Nothing good
has really happened to them since I
started there, I say, stealing a sip.

I'd say you bring out the worst in
people, she replies, and I glance up from the bowl,

She smiles and takes the cold cup back.

*I mean to say that you draw the poison out.

I sometimes wonder
if the reason I can't
love myself is because
I only loved myself through
your eyes and you never saw
a single flaw.

if you've ever done
3 sets of lat pulldowns
your hands cramp up
by the end and are freckled
red. You flex them awkwardly,
all ten fingers bent into little
claws around the bar, and the
skin feels tight as if you were
slipping your bones into a glove
too small.

but it doesn't last long.

but it doesn't last long.

I've pried every finger
from the tail-end of your
shirt, but my eyes are the
only thing left. To be sure,
hands aren't the only thing
that can grip, that can hold on.

I'll stop loving
you if you ask
me to.