like a rose
smelling sweet with candy apple
crimson cheeks. Till your silky petals fell.
And your head drooped. I could tell you
weren’t yourself. And all you left me
was a stalk jagged as a mountain rock.

You came on
like a watermelon
ripe and dripping down my chin,
like strawberry and vanilla gin.
No tellin’ you were overloaded
with hard black seeds. And even as
I spit ‘em out they grew sprouts.

You came on
like a song
on the radio playing soft
and slow. And I danced to
the music, making my head spin
like a record on a turntable.
Filling me with reverie like the honey
bee/till I was stung by the lash
of your tongue.

You came on
like a locomotive
puffing and pulling me along
on your tracks till you derailed.
And I crashed.