That drunken altercation
With legs writhing and
Palms larruped
Leaving hand-shaped welts
On pink skin,
That error that cannot be undone
Will forever haunt me,
But the ghost follows
Two hosts.

When he looks into my eyes
And feels himself within me
The vision of the other man
Tip-toes around the back
Of his brain,
Lingering like the smell
Of garbage,
Prompting him that he’s
Not the only one to
Kiss my lips,
Or trace the curves of
My hips,
Or tell me that he loves me.

Though he gave his forgiveness,
Let me stay inside his heart,
The memory is crippling,
And a part of me is lost.