Graceless
You are graceless
She is wingless, like you
Only yours were honorary
Yours she gave to you, so generous
Hers you tore from her
Shoulder blades,
Pulled a feather from every pore
A petal every time
You asked whether or not
She had been in love with you

She was
And she wishes
You were missing the same pieces
That were taken from her
But at the same time
She couldn't hurt a fly
Not on purpose
Nor without consideration
Nor without consequence



Because she knows better than to do what you did.

You cut her
Yet your own blood
Doesn't run with guilt.

You're Graceless
Selfish

Yet not as Graceless
As the young woman
Whom you laid on a metal slab,
Dissected,
And sewed back together
With romantic detachment

You claimed her,
You cut her,
You maimed her,

Don't trivialize her anger
She deserves to feel something again
Let her fly,
Let her fly
*******,

She doesn't  want her family to watch her die

Bitterness--
Like dried, expired chocolate--
Is duller than listening to
Him talk about politics;
Waiting for it to rain
Then watching the sun come out
And hour later;
Craving a new cup of coffee
Only to walk two miles
To the stores to buy new creamer,
And coming home to find the mug
Cold as a ten year old corpse,
And the power is out
So I can’t heat it up
In the microwave.

I go out again,
To Starbucks or to Caribou,
Whoever is more likely
To ***** up my elaborate order
(The former);
I ignore the barista’s niceties,
Disappointed by my own
Social skills;
I chug,
Twenty minutes later
I’m still tired.

More discouraging
Are the shrill voices of my
Authorities;
Angry stirred with
High expectations or, sometimes,
Just angry.
Teaching me their definition
Of quick succession
And looking before leaping;
Yelling at me too…
Smile;
Calling for some…
Appreciation;
Yearning for some
Uncalled for
Domestication.

My head beats its drum,
Because every civil war
Needs a drummer boy
And the battle starts
With a rhythm.