soporific and potent
it travels through the tunnels with crimson walls
inverse photos
and superflous words sewn together like grandmothers quilt
salt water drops and the wallet is empty
verbose phone conversations
and then
the brown door opens
and it alleviates
faint eyes peer at each other
and the air mixes together like sugar and flour
and it alleviates.

broken mailboxes and chipped paint
the smell of the splintered wood seeped under my skin
and why did you have to leave

strength is one of those things i've never had
and it's something i really need
and no matter how many times i play that melancholy love song
that i wrote early one morning
on that dusty guitar that sits in the corner of my dim bedroom
i won't have it
the strength to wait
and sometimes i just want to grab the silver keys off of the hook and drive
just drive and drive and drive
until your scent is mixed with the scent of gasoline inside my car

why did you have to leave
it gets harder every time
please don't