I heard you sing an alphabet -
each kiss upon the page
brought forth a rhyme - they tasted of
funerial bouquets
 
We made our way through cardamom
weeds in the orange grove -
all while my memory’s future men
spat warnings not to rove -
 
and so I sat - in Alcatraz
as cucumber and salt
swelled in my mouth - no mercy as
my song came to a halt
 
I was betrothed once - to a fly -
who never stood me up
I’ve had tuberculosis since -
my time poured in a cup

we dreamt in lines of thin silk
and I traced you soft - in blood -
you sat me in a mangosteen
and said you’d be back - soon