The Red Glass Room

I think you broke my ribs this time
when my heart broke,
it exploded.
It was the red glass room
I was living in.

Was it really necessary to make a pickax
from the handle of my love?
I thought that you wanted it
to build a house around my heart,
but you stood outside my glass heart screaming,
"You are not naked enough!"
While you swung the ax and called it truth.

Well, here I am
naked and stunned
lying inside the cage of my body.
You stand over me
Holding my love against me.

The Taste of Safety

The taste of death
The taste of silence
The taste of my own tongue
The taste of myself
The taste of nothing
In my mouth

Wedding Dream 2

We were married in a field of poppies,
blood and beauty, forgetfulness.
I wore black, just like my dream,
and the elegance of my neck
was lashed with a red silk ribbon
that trailed down my bare back.
I never saw you.
I only felt your hand
on my back against my heart.
I had a bouquet of pansies and truth,
although my father wanted ravens.
My feet were bare
and the nettles stung
as we were bound.

Love,

I am a peach in your hands.
You have sliced me to the pit
and twisted me loose.
You have forced your thumbs
into the cut, and tearing
you expose my heart, and
my sweetness.

For Chris Hise On His 27th Birthday

You fell into this world
a mistake.
As soon as you could stand
you ran headlong
berserking into life.
But somehow in the end
you took your boots off,
folded your socks neatly inside,
lay down under the stars you loved
(who knew?),
and died.