l.

remember to breathe

even through the minutes where

oxygen is bumped down on

your list of ‘things i need to be alive’

and replaced by

their laugh

and the tone of their voice

when you tickle them

ll.

keep a clock on you at all times

remind yourself

that forever can be counted on it’s face

better than it can be told

in their eyes

or in the number of secrets

they slip into your back pocket.

lll.

practice saying your name

in front of the mirror every

morning

so you don’t forget it

inside their lips

IV,

keep the thermostat

at 78 at all times.

seventy-eight is a number

that makes it easier to sleep

and less likely

to over-think

about such things as proximity

and the smell of their perfume

and how the neon glow of the bar last night

was like drenching them in pink moon milk

and fire-flies

V.

tie ribbons around your fingers

your wrists

ankles waist hips legs neck anything

in reminder that

you need to keep all

parts of yourself

together

tied up

in an orderly beautiful

indestructible pattern.

you are more stable than the

volcano inside your

heart.

VI.

break up with

the bones in your body

that tell you

irrational and beautiful things.

watch out for the songs

of the sirens

in your head

(in your head)

VII.

never never ever

take your eyes

off the ground.