i hold
something heavy
and cool
against his head

his eyes covered
with satin
disillusionment

spinning
click
and stop

words
burning
my fingertips
unspoken
like bullets
whole
and warm
pressed with my fingerprints
in the chamber

shaking
wrists
trembling lips

i take it
away
because i can't say
it

Insert simile
Insert rhyme
Insert content and paragraph lines
Display intelligence
Display linguistics
Display knowledge of prose and theoretical physics
Dictate fact
Dictate fear
Dictate the quality of sounds that enter the ear
Justify opinion
Justify thoughts
Justify your own words and ignore the flaws

Satisfied smirk on my face,
I revel
In your misery.

You're back.

But I'm not really here anymore.

while a symphony of cicadas
sang narratives
in summer darkness
she wanted nothing more
than to be like August

as a kid
she carefully colored
within the lines,
but often pressed too hard,
and now finds herself hating
the way her poetry nearly
bleeds through the page

but there are nights
when August is stretched
across the windowsill,
demanding life from
the quietest corners
of her mind

daring to ask
what might have happened
if the lines weren’t so thick
and who exactly dictated their curvature

but before she has the chance
to part her lips,
he is always pushed aside
by a timely chill
and replaced with the
come-and-go
of foliage and falling leaves

re-enter
the twisted comfort
of September

she closes her window
the darkness
is silent

You don't have to do that
Spare me the Monday evening cordialities
Have you even considered the fact
That I am always looking away
As you walk up the stairs?

You don't have to do that
Catch my attention with your smile
Ask how I am doing
As if my answer might sway your next move:
A "see you later" in mid-stride
How symbolic

You don't have to do that
Because I don't need any favors
"I always acknowledge you"
As though it is some sort of obligation
And I should be thankful for your kindness

You don't have to do that
Because I do not care for
Routine hellos and overused smiles
Stained with the implication
Of a shallow rapport

You don't have to do that
Better yet
You have my permission to walk right past me
Every Monday evening
Because I am not interested
In acquaintanceship

You don't have to do that
Because in the same way it is hard to unsee
It is hard to unfeel
And I don't know how much longer
I can tell you I am "well"
Without wishing or waiting to explode

You don't have to do that
Because your eyes
Carry the prose I shared
Written by of a part of me
With which I am still unfamiliar

You don't have to do that
Because I am unable to pretend
The reciprocity of our passions
Is merely common
And irrelevant

You don't have to do that
Because it is impossible to deny that
We have chemistry
We have chemistry

But please
You don't have to do that
Because
Believe me
Had I known the sparks
Would result in wildfire
I would have extinguished them immediately

I am working to put out the flames
But it is awfully hard
While you are fanning the embers