i have cravings for you

midday, i make my trip
from my brooklyn brownstone

to purchase you,
a woman with a chip in her tooth

and a painted-lip manicure
hands you to me

i treasure you,
feel your weight between

thumb and forefinger,
stashed in my bones

like the ocean you were
born from

i hold your on my
way outside, look

down the street
in awe

because in this city
everything shines

and when you peel back
the layers of skin

it's curious, what
a mistake a body

could make