august
you hand me your heart
wrapped in crumpled brown paper
and clumsy string tied
around the forever you've
stamped across your palms
over and over until
red ink smudges the tiny, careful
♥
in the corner

but you have forgotten
and i have forgotten
that my fingers are only flame
and my words are just smoke
that fills the void between us
until i can't breathe
and you can't hear me scream

yet i'm holding brown paper anyway
and the string tangled around our hands
is burning slowly
in time to your heartbeat screaming and thrashing
in my fist
and i wish my fingers were smoke
and my words were flame instead

does it hurt to burn
or to inhale
?