Each emination,
Hot as an inferno.
The breath I let escape
Burns before it boils,
Serpent, tongue coil.
The way you worked me;
Nailed the coffin, spread the soil.

"Life is cheap,"
Said strong to weak.
"Wrong is right,"
Spoke rich to meek.
"Do none, hear none - nor speak, or see."
Evil said to divinity.
And we wonder why, when then
We do speak, that
No one seems to be listening.

I was seventeen when we first met,
Pushed together by fate.
You kissed me on the cheek,
I felt the weight of your lips for weeks.
At nineteen you serenaded me
With that silly little song,
I still listen to it all the time,
Remembering how our voices sounded intertwined.
Now that you have kissed me
My heart is fully thawed.
I desire you forever mine
If you, my dear, are so inclined.

"I'm sorry, I forgot again",
My heart says to my brain.
"I'm sorry I forgot again,
I didn't mean to cause you pain".
"I'm sorry I forgot
I've never learned the ways of thought.
I'm sorry I forgot,
He's always been my soft spot".

I've lost so many things, my dear,
My head, my heart, my soul
I've lost my present, my future, and all times of old.
I've lost so many things to you,
My dignity, my patience, my love,
You took my time, my passion, and just a single glove.
I lost 3 pairs of socks to you, a toothbrush, and some more
I've left at least 2 pairs of pants on your bedroom floor.
You took my favorite sweatshirt and my favorite song,
You've even stolen my sleep, keeping me up all night long.
I've lost so many things to you,
My blood, my pride, the color blue.
You've taken so many things from me,
The sun, the moon, the sea.
You've taken so many things,
My dear, why won't you take me?

I am from New Jersey.
From the paradise of small towns
And the inferno of concrete jungles.
I am from truck tire playgrounds,
Porch Clubs, and the whistle
Of the Riverline.
I am from divorce.
From alcoholism and denial,
From broken doors and hearts.
I am from next to hell.
From pouring out full forties
For one's homies passed away.
From too many candlelight vigils
And sidewalks littered with fourth grade pictures.
I am from the garden state.
From cows, corn, and Clinton,
And tractors in the parking lot.
I am from tradition.
From pasta and seven fishes,
From "Mafiosa!" screamed in the streets
And "No WHOPs" pasted on storefronts.
I am from love.
From three parents and four siblings,
From six dogs and duplicate holidays,
And the smell of tulips and holly.

Last night I dreamt of you again.
A lingering gaze and the hand
That slides,
Too far,
Down a back.
I dreamt of a grin.
Mischievous.
Shared only between us two.
Of blushing cheeks that long
To feel the graze of fingertips
And lips that quiver with loneliness.

It’s raining,
And I wish you were here.
Because, and I know it’s cliché,
But I’m falling a lot harder
Than this rain, and dear,
It’s torrential here.
But these sheets of rain
Remind me of the sheets we share,
And I’d just as quickly
Wrap myself up in them
If I thought you were in there, too.
It’s 101° there.
But here it’s raining.
And I miss you.

one by one i’ll pull my teeth from my mouth
i am so full of rage
i want to be soft despite that
i’ll put them in a jar
to remind myself
harsh words come from a harsh mouth
without my teeth
maybe i’ll be softer