these are the eyes that have seen
watched the Unforgivable committed
carried out in a susurrus, deafening like
a scream
and then, the haunted shadow
of the committer, searching for absolution,
searching in vain
searching because his life depends on it
searching like a child for his dead parent
in the ashes of a city demolished by
war
it will never ever come

these are the eyes that have itched
from holding inside the eyelids
holding all they saw
things they should have never seen
defeat and selfishness, bestiality, the way
humans can
rip at each other's throats and
suck
suck on each other's hearts like
like lollipops

these are the eyes that have screamed
they howled like
a wounded wolf howling
howling at the still rock clouds
they howled for
release
for a soothing stygian coolness
to block their view, if only
if only
if only for a moment,
make it stop

these are the eyes that trailed over
beauty
and stunned, stunned,
they broke apart like
a heart
like a heart ignored
because, because beauty can be
a punch in the gut
and beauty can scar

these eyes, these eyes are tired
they lie curled on a bed
of crusty seashells
they lie bleeding
like a bird shot down
shot down and left to die
on its lonesome
these eyes, they shiver
like tomorrow
like a promise that
will never be fulfilled

these eyes, these eyes are yours
you stitch them together
every night you stitch them
with needle, sweat, and hope
you bandage them with
self-deceit
you bathe them in soothing
tea water
and you will them,
every night you will them
to forget

these eyes, these eyes, they are mine
I no longer know what to do with them
I can no longer
keep them together
there's a fire inside of them
melting them
from the inside out

these eyes, they are ours
ours to hold
ours to heed
ours to heal.