i beat my knuckles white,
half-collapsed on the floor—
begging and pleading
with you to open the door.
you shook with sobs
and nursed the black and blue.
i held you while you bled,
pried free the scissors you’d used
and wept phoenix tears
over your self-inflicted wounds.
i pushed my lips against the stripes
and sat shiva through the deluge.
i fall in love with everyone
i meet, because in every human
being there’s a little
bit of you.