we came together like a dying star
a single second that sparked a universe
chasing stardust through galaxies
i connect the freckles on your skin
like constellations
base elements forming life
in copper and green and deep wide black
i feel the expanse of skin on skin on skin
like honey dripping from my fingertips
as i touch the side of your cheek
a supernova of emotion
a collapse of everything that i am
and was and will be
forming existence in my own combustion
birthing oxygen in my stifled lungs
my heart takes off like a startled deer
crashing through trees and underbrush
coming to a sudden stop at the edge of a cliff
i stand on the precipice and stare down
at the rush of white water beneath me
and you smile up at me
raising your hands in invitation
i take a breath and step off the edge
only to realize that i am already at the bottom
five feet under and sinking
i struggle for breath against the weight
of the universe at home in my chest
suns dying and being born
in the sparks behind my eyelids
when i feel the press of lips
and the twitch of anxious fingers
and the ragged sound of ruin
in a dark room
you kneel at my feet and stare up at me
move your lips soundlessly
eyes wide and wild as the universe
as if to say
- is this okay -
it always will be
until the stars die out
and little by little
piece by piece
atom by atom
we become
stardust