when a poet falls in love with you
you can never die
they will notice the way
you rub your palms and look down
when someone is angry at you
and the way you smirk
as you pull away from a kiss

they will notice how you can't sleep
without your body touching someone else's
how you never crease any pages of books
and how you close your eyes when you dance in your kitchen
with your record player on

they will find all of the words
that they see you as
and turn them into something beautiful

people say you die twice
once when you stop breathing
and when someone says your name
for the last time

if you fall in love with a poet
they will never stop
mentioning your name
you will be alive
for eternity

My chest is ripped open; my heart laid bare,
For you to tear out like a page,
Bones are spread, it is ready for
You to free it from my ribcage.

This is my offering to you,
I wish it was not broken and used,
This beating monster is all I have to give,
It's beautiful, despite being abused.

The deepest cuts and battle wounds
May take a long time to fully heal,
They have built a thick armor around my trust,
So it is difficult for me to explain how I feel.

I know this present isn't a lot,
Not nearly what you deserve,
But the fear of one more abandonment,
Severs every wailing nerve.

As I stand here, crimson blood pooling,
I stick my hands inside of the hole,
Forcefully take this frustrated scar,
From the home it's made inside my soul.

It hurts so badly I can't even breathe,
My lungs gasp but can't find any air,
This pain is the only way I have to show you,
How hard this adoration is to bear.

I ****** this fragile sacrifice
Into your understanding arms to hold,
It is now yours to command as you please,
Or if you wish, leave out in the cold.

On its surface is a promise written
In honest ink to always be there,
But this meager token of my affection
Doesn't begin to express how much i truly care.

Now I fall to the ground, fingers growing numb,
My veins frozen as scarlet rivers run dry,
I don't think even death can show or prove
The love I feel for you but i had to try.

The last of my confidence
Leaks out with the waves of red,
I tried to share my demons with you
But I gave uncertain riddles instead.

All that remains of my spirit is shadows,
My body a puppet too flawed to save face,
You still carry my heart although it's not moving,
A paralyzed burden you shoulder with
grace.

It's steady thump has greatly slowed,
My pulse almost too feeble to feel,
Now in your grasp it will either crumble and die,
Or learn from your love how to gradually heal.