How I wanted to un-
Tangle the dark, wired thorns
Of your brow -
Byronic, sardonic.

I remember how your lips bled chaos
Like a raw wound,
Your words trickling down my chest until
They painted a canvas of red ivory.

I think I fashioned a inky night
Down your throat
With white stars sewn into
The thick, black creases of velvet.

Sunlight streamed tears from
Your parched eyes,
Cleansed them so well that I tried to look into them for
An explanation, an admission.

But I only saw myself.