hold my hand
touch the skin on my arms
and shoulders
let your irises dance between the stars in mine
venus sleeps under her tongue and in her throat
like grass blades under my thighs
narcotic eyelashes

scrape the surface of my lips
cut figure eights into our palms
dripping blood on rose confetti

tethered by a cruel fixation
a cold park bench
vulnerable and wanting
withdrawal

trace the space between my waist and hips
follow the scars on my knees and wrists
intoxicating movement

flesh out the needle burn my throat with the spoon
like honey
like a warm bath

the stars are fading now

pull my body across the sand and into the ocean
step into the depths of the self and feel every breath
carve the remains of your sins into the souls of my feet
chip the paint from my surface

drain me of the honeycomb emotions
that cling to the walls of my being

pull my hair at the root
rip the metal from my body
scrape the ink from my skin
make me unrecognizable

you'd reach into my chest
and grip my heart yourself
if it would keep beating

restrict my shoulders beneath the water
watch the air leave my lungs
watch yourself
as you hold me

dispose of me cleanly
only after
you've had your last laugh
I am whole again