wine stains on the shelf
a flash of irritation ended
coverless on the couch

separateness lingers into morning
politeness papers over open wounds
where repairs could have been made
memory wire refuses to uncoil

we'd overwound the pound-shop threads
of our connection
scraped each filament to fronds
that could part at any moment
but didn't

we argue our differences, forget
to celebrate our samenesses
sensing barriers
where none are

We trusted you with what we love
and you broke it

jammed a fat stick in its spokes,
overwound the mechanism,
twisted the arm at a funny angle
til it snapped

haphazardly snatched at the parts
applied inappropriate glue,
pointed to one or two others, then skulked away
pretending to have never touched it,
or even been there that day

even broken its worth can still be seen
with eyes that choose to,
heard with ears not deaf from
formless brays of sycophants
who may or may not be in the mirror

we will stickle it
every little bit of it
we will fix it like new new new

My body has forgotten what it is to be calm
I wake at 2 AM
3 AM
4 AM
Heart racing, racing, racing
Hurtling out of my
Cleaved ribs
Dizzy from trembling like an
Overwound spring
The potential energy buzzing through my skull
Every nerve ready to strike
Ready to fire
Ready to set me ablaze
I howl into my pillow
Until my lungs fracture
Until I'm coughing up soot
From the scorching frenzy coiling beneath my skin
The primal need to hold someone's hand through the dark
Has me twitching like an addict
Has me sweating like withdrawal
Has me wondering why I never had the sense
To shield my fragile ribcage
The terrible thing about having
A heart full of flowers
Is most people aren't gentle
And human instinct is to cut daisies
Rather than tend the garden
And I
Foolish and tender-hearted
Will keep licking affection off knives
Because I've never seen a silver spoon