i once admired your body –
wrath on beauty,
beauty on wrath,

silently, i yearned to grasp
your same sized ankles and wrists
with my circled forefinger and thumb.

you confirmed me.
nail-tips kissed near

the boundary’s middle

blue veins bleed.
you are attention starved.

i crave a subtle touch,
hipbones mock the
elasticity of your skin.
two sea-weathered rocks
see what you can’t feel.

i reject this rebirth.
your balance trembles
masked with heavy liquor.

your collar bones sink
like bony vulture’s wings
they flash. but you can’t fly.

your nails a sickly yellow
like butternut squash,
bitter and soft.

i do see your heart.
selfishly calloused like
old candy, glazed over.
no longer sweet.

even in his iron arms
your strength fails you.

calories cannot baptize.

basement blackens,
single flickering dim light

a new demon in hell

your life, a stage
your self esteem, a prop

if crumbs are scattered on
this paper, pardon me:
when i write, i
EAT.