we've found our stars
in the way our tears leak from
the corners of our eyes

with lips pressed against cheeks
every breath is a prayer

the most truthful way to articulate this
intensely painful exploding of my heart is
i've never experienced
the sudden onslaught of passion and warmth
and emotion
for another human being
and their presence in this
terrible, aching journey

i thank every god, every soul and
deity that this gracious and searching
universe has ever encountered to have
the extraordinary pleasure of having you as my own.

how do you cope
when the hands of beauty
are wrapped around your throat

and every way in which i
tell myself in whispers that
THE SHAPE OF MY THIGHS IS WORTH IT
is shattered by
the danger in the pantry

deciphering the truth from
what i've been told in monotone
is what keeps me gripping the sheets
at four am
while you're still asleep
and stealing the blankets

don't hold me hostage
by the way i love avocados
and the smell of boiling pasta
and iced tea
and peanut butter

don't hold me hostage
with the ways in which my
knees and hips do not conform
to what catches your attention


i won't let
the curve of your bones
tell me who i am

your silent form
heaves with each somber breath
the curve of your spine
eased against my thigh

lover

the acute sensation
of your hips leaking secrets upon mine
the arch of my neck making
love to your lips

my heart, so hesitant in our movements
a pulsing tangle of misguided pleas for safety
has fallen for
the way your ribs whisper me stories
and the way your skin is woven and pressed
with such truth
and, oh god
the way your eyes ricochet and burn with  
EVERY WAY I'VE EVER NEEDED
ANOTHER PERSON'S HAND IN MINE

i am a grateful soul to the altar of the way you say my name and

i could fall asleep in the gentle ***** of your lips.

its the scratch in my throat
the goose flesh following your fingertips
your desire knotted in my hair

it's less the way i please you
and more the way our bodies curve and
mold together

the way your lips hum against my skin
whispering
baby girl
aching, like an oath.

the way i never thought submission would
mean safety.

the way the arc and fall of
your voice brings me an
indescribably truthful warmth

through my collarbones and eyelids and



i love you.

the morning light is fragile
i am soothed by the hum
of the water under my fingers
and the birds telling lies outside
the window

even in the reaching chill
that envelopes this drafty
house

the ****** and pulls of my flesh
in the cold

hold no comparison to the ones
that bloom

under your supple hands

i'm having trouble dictating the way
these emotions churn inside my body

like a sink drain
choking on the dish water

the languid, deep burning
in the hollow of my ribs
is creating a heavy fog
in my brain that makes
it hard to remember where
my loyalties lie

my lips tremble with your accusations
the bite of your stare makes me close up

i refuse to speak
not because the truth of my actions will hurt you
but that i'm terrified of the truth
of my heart.

snowflakes like fingertips

the deep crimson stain
of desperation on my lips

your eyes hold safety

and i
with the ringing syllables
with the easy smirks
and the way my hands
hold change

i've carved you into my sallow skin
saying thank you with each notch
saying yes

it's when my fingers slip
the fragile bricks packed through with mortar
lose their hold

i really hope
you have a good birthday