Lithe as breath—
the flame bends
never breaks—
a matchstick’s dance
poised on ash.

I said forever
with a voluble tongue
and for some reason,
despite no voluable trust,
she believed
easy to open,
easier to discard.

A spark leans close—
whispers once to the dark
and poetry listens
catching fire
with a nascent breath.

we used to seal
things shut
not just with tape
but trust
now it's snap-on lids
cling film
a love that runs
at the bends
everything has a pull tab
easy to open
meant to toss

even hearts
are shaped for
one serving microwaved
barely stirred

now we're compostable
biodegradable
emotionally disposable
and mostly unremarkable

but we are recyclable
so we can push
a partner
down a rock face
without remorse
or regret
for the environment

The streetlight
limns her—
with heat
and hope—
a pale sketch
of hips that bend
and beckon
that's how her body
balances
when she's waiting
for eyes to land.

Stay without a word
storm clouds pass above her smile
My arms open wide

[Verse 1]
She tells me
I'm not like this with anyone else
her voice soft like ash in the air
says I'm the spark
that sets off her silence
and all the storms hiding there

She tells me she loves me—
right before she breaks
in trembling flame
I hold her like
a burned-out oak
still standing in the rain

[Chorus]
And I say—
It’s okay babe
I’m bad for you too
we’re just two deer
caught in the open
no map no moon
but I won’t run
if you don’t move
we’re broken kind
but we choose this truth

[Verse 2]
She curls her voice
around old wounds
asks if I see
what she hides inside
but I’ve walked through fire
and stayed soft
so I just press my hand to the light

She says
she’s poison and prayer both
but I drink anyway
there’s something
about her damage that sings—
when the world turns gray

[Chorus]
And I say—
It’s okay babe
I’m bad for you too
like two branches
bending never breaking
through the weight of truth
I’ll hold the hurt
and carry the proof
we’re bad for each other
but I stay with you

[Bridge]
You cry like a river
I dam with my chest
I’ve never been the answer—
but I stayed when you wept
No easy fix no clean slate
just hands held tight
through our worst mistakes

[Final Chorus]
It’s okay babe
we were never meant
to bloom unbruised
but I’d rather stand
in the storm with you
than find shelter
without your truth

[Outro]
So breathe love
just breathe—
I’m not leaving
even if we never heal
completely