Untitled, maybe

You look somber, the way you put your head down
You ask me not to write about you
And then you take it back
Like it was a dirty joke you didn’t want to tell
But the sentiment is there

And I don’t know how to make you feel good
No matter what I try, it’s kind of one of those things
Where you can’t get your way
You toss and you turn but there’s rationally no movement
Gaps in between pauses
Stained sheets
What makes you feel unwell when you’re not in my presence
What makes you descend into your kinder self when you are
I am a pawn and you are my King and we lie
Adjacent at night
But not together.

D’appartenance

Lilac-colored cherries on the tree
You know I come undone with you
I come away with you
Never feel sorry for you

And I know that
Whatever you say is true
Your waves are black and blue
Your chrysanthemums, bleek thunder views

In the deep vast, crisp ocean
I wash away with you
In my fit-and-flare wedding gown
I gaze up at you, longing
Feeling, belonging
Always up at you

Always up at you

74in

There, concrete bridge
Throwing up like a landmine
Shocked to the brim
Might let you in

You, there for “support”
Always following me
Wherever I turn up
Scared for me
Budget B-movies
Film star queen
The things in-between
Get me out of this scene

Them, rubber toys
Making all of this goddamn noise
Unedited spherical spending like water
Shriveling cold beats
Turn up the heat
To do away with, that’s a fact
Or a vision, to destroy
Our friends we’ll employ
If we have any left by then

You, not forgotten in the least
Leather jacket, cold-hearted beast
Pockets so deep I put my hand inside
And I leave it inside
It’s comfort I find
Ask how many inches tall you are
No matter the answer it’s still up far
But with my hand in your pocket I smile
That little girl smile, you know
It’s comfort I find, you know

Maybe one day it’ll start to show

Practical

Easter Sunday, girls with pink dresses
Mine is too
Sharp like prom king
Cursed like a weapon
Like a stay-at-home widow
Practically insincere

My poetry on the internet
Not the best idea
Rereading old diary entries
Not really the best idea either
A strategic sort of landmine

Rose body oil
That blends in softly
Tell me what you want from me
Don’t forget to put away the flowers
Before they rot
Before they rot

Peonies on the tabletop

Pnina Tornai

Pnina Tornai wedding gowns
Wearing tiaras to the cafe
Your soft blue oversized sweatshirt
My love wide and vast like the sea

Hey how are you
Call out like cinder blocks
Tell me when it’s raining
I think you’re kind of amazing

Swing with me
Crystal blue eyes
Hums like paradise
Don’t forget to treat me real nice

On Seventh avenue
That’s where I’ll be with you
Soft knit fabric smooth on skin
Laughter for all seven sins

Where do we once begin
I’m trapped in the mood I’m in