Starlight poured out of her eyes
When she touched my cheek and
Told me to smile.

I thought of the thousands of souls
That pumped through my blood
And how they stretched my lifespan
Across centuries of recycled tragedies
And I wanted to rip them by the
Throats when all that was left of
The woman I loved was this slab
Of granite dating from 1878 to
1904.

The pain rose up from her bones
And stunk of shame and guilt as it
Pummeled my artificial life to her
Mortal absence.

I kept her waiting for so long
And she died with that promise
Crippled on her paper lips.