switchback stair market manicules labyrinth reveal a hanging garden
third place jazz no reservations? but what were we before ourselves
finishing a talk with your sister a tinctured fire fluid solidifies
all black pupils sadist’s leaning considering want freepouring both
lamplight yellow redlight therapy shaken & stirred cry our eyes out
point of returns now that we know the place’s ours last words echo.
door in our place i never open out of fear and too much want touch the knob — i am shocked
sounds like a party in there but where is my invitation? missing out doesn’t scare me
sometimes, it’s open a crack scents from the kitchen waft my favorite dish on the menu
i give up. nothing better to do splayed on gray wool, rubbing nothing matches their rhythm
the guests tire, it swings open streamers and confetti spilling must be my job to clean ’em up
shoes stick to the floor, we wander past the bar into a dim red-lit lounge. pinball, locked door, you. you’re a seeing machine. pull your curtain closed— shroud us in secrets that end just above our waist.
tap on a train faregate, a beep reminds us that transportation isn’t free, a short trip still costs us. you’re a seeing machine. see what we’re made of. we’re trapped here now, we can’t hide from flash.
all whirring and waiting. don’t know how long ’til our capture, our release. we kiss from impatience. you’re a seeing machine. our mouths are blurring, hands in hair, bite marks in flesh. we have no time.
falling back into the light. was there music before? we lean against the box, we cannot lose contact. you’re a seeing machine. you take time to develop. wait here: a strip will fall. freeze us in four frames.
do i have to belt you? to overcome a bubbling or are my words enough to staunch the flowing from leaking fountains
pleasure is never free, even when it is a gift. beg me with honeysuckle pollination. allergies. only believe in denial.
muscle tension, hunger. dew’s wetter than rain. desperate questions tie barricade tape tighter. no. a complete sentence
the longer we wait here clock hands move slowly waiting, praying on the dripping limestone tile a sacrifice in purpose.
release is for the weak but you are strong, no? every drop metered out. are you grasping at it? there isn’t a shortage.
don’t ask me again, now you know my answer love age years in the bottle our flavor concentrates only believe in denial.
two-tone composition unknown destinations an operator obsesses over pickup & hangup
one +1 more connected than 2. you will. and the company that will bring it to you is me
push digits into holes, keep spinning until you feel the click in place switch arms, hands tire
blinking countless lines, voice carrying fast & far on continuous copper wire silence costs us as much—
draw X’s & O’s in octothorps sleep clutching our handsets there is so much to exchange during long-distance calling
meeting a Goddess, sunshine, envying its divinity & wings
stripping each white feather, dyeing them all in her blood
sewing souls into mine, stealing her golden halo
it will never fly again— riding only in my hand
my fallen angel: a bruised flower
your aperture narrows as f /our voices deepen sunlight burns through exposed cloth shutters
we made you to protect an us we never realized would be safe as she is it’s no decorative pansy
darkrooms reveal stains & splatters under safety lightbulb, glowing ruby our eyes don’t adjust yet
we have twins, don’t we? is it sisters, not twins? god, no that’s a different flower entirely — rosemary
a girl’s gotta eat, grow big & strong food becomes fuel fired brick oven
i have reservations, my seat’s set aside gin martini stirred— small coin of lemon.
white pressed linens red leather cushions polished steel fixtures scarred marble veins
amuse my palate gift from the chef we kindly request: no sharing allowed
a girl’s gotta eat, wash away fears enjoy my choices wet lips, appetite
taste first with eyes each flavor distinct: salt, grit, acid, burn hungering for it all
the first bite builds anticipation of more— a mindless chewing, my posture softens
i lick your plate clean it’s been taken care of have i saved any room? no, some other time
craving total transformation, identity a disposed wrapper. becoming a vessel for want, glass poured into, overfilled.
you haven’t been here lately. something in our combining always begins this reaction: photochemical excited state
learning how to spark again — days ago: gel, pumps, bulbs, rattling pill bottles and nerves, black gloves, gold foil, silicone.
it’s warmed up enough already. don’t ask or guess — just know. take a part you claim as yours, shape it to your pleasure. use.
time stutters; the gears grind forward under prying pressure. repairing hidden mechanisms, counting every beat yourself.
disappearing deconstruction: ripped apart by heat and light, shredded into a thousand tiny pieces of steel. shrapnel blast.
there is stillness in oblivion, peace made in the darkness. clenched fists, soaked linen. i swear. i won’t move. i can’t.
if you’re hearing this, it’s ’cause i trust you. there’s a lot of detail, high resolution scans.
i take an early flight. nothing good is easy. what am i forgetting? chocolate orange peels.
i program on the airplane to distract from humming in my eardrums; an engine whirring to life in my chest.
she applies the night before risks her body just for more. she knows she has to see it before i remember my face.
jetway’s made of glass, eyes have steel blades. what am i forgetting? 54-inch red shoelace.
“do you want to get the fuck out of this airport?” she picks up both bags before i can say a word.
she borrows a tapedeck. i hold her knee. is this ok? the postal service can’t ship this in a flat rate box.
distance desires ritual we find a matchbook what am i forgetting? ashen coffee. burning.
the next thing i know we’re at the terminal. lipstick can stain more than cardboard cups
time stopped in total: 14 hours, 28 minutes