too kind for that
too good

kind
                                    like these eyes do not weep
                                    if you shut your own
                                    like tears do not stain the ground
                                    red
                                    when you’re on your knees in Gethsemane

                                    like kindness is no substitute for

good
                                   is no substitute for bones
                                   is no substitute for marrow
                                   is no substitute for blood
                                   is no substitute for breath

cannot stop a heart from
stopping                                    as if we have any control
cannot iron out a spine
that has memorized
what a caving ceiling looks like

                                                   don’t be sorry
                                                   it’s only natural now.