The lovers,
They melt.
Flowing and naked.
Their colors,
They blend

As I slowly awaken.
I was so young the first time that I saw them
Taken aback by the honesty of desire
So blatantly plastered on my grandmother’s wall.

Sometimes I think she put them in the bathroom
Just so I could stare behind doors.
Admire the truth
Instead of shying from it.

And with them, I grew—
To know, to love
To own and to hang

In my own ****** apartment,
They watch as I cry,
As I nap,
As I break my cheap couch.

They’ll watch as I move—
Up, up,
And out.

In early mornings and in the nights,
In the afternoon and the soft evening light,
Every cell of me wants you near
And I wonder if my whispered wishes
Can build and cross all these bridges.

I hide my eyes behind the hood
Let the light bleed through the thin
Fabric and the thick skin
That holds me.

I’ve grown accustomed to
The way it feels between
sharp teeth.
Digging into me
Is far too easy.

They let the wolf
Swallow me whole,
And now I will spend
Lifetimes in his belly.