these days i notice the way my limbs
sway gently as i walk
the rough catching of my thighs
has become unfamiliar
the space left between
left for someone to fill
love cuts through the hickory bark of my heart
your hatchet cracking me open
i spill
dinner dates on the rooftop overlooking the city
we both want to escape
with every mouthful i swallow your tender caresses
across my stomach i have hated for so long
how is it possible to feel alive around such a stranger
if you knew me would you love me
since you know me do you love me
teardrops from the sky hit my balcony
you held me as i wept that night
current joys
nostalgic nights
a hickory tree splintered open
bark cracking down the sides
raw and exposed
the lightning ripped open the truth and self
the soft white underbelly of hickory exposed.