how many times have your eyes haunted mine?
--a fading dream as daylight finds its way through your window frame,
like wooden fences with invitations to climb, to rise and rise
til you're mountain high,
to the top of the Tower of Babble and touching God.
cotton candy is the texture of heaven on the tongue,
the bite of hell when it sticks to the sweat on your fingertips.
everything is hazy at the state fair,
and no one knows how long they've been here--
your smiles make days blur and slide, like you've painted your nails
with the fabric of space-time.
phantom touches from lingering gazes are all i know now,
extinction of the way that i used to be,
because your eyes won't stop haunting me.