Braille
Ideally
By GMW
By Airea Johnosn
Screaming extremities In the body of the night I fall into your arms On fire And watch your ash dissipate into thin air Love me slowly in this burning fantasy of darkness Until we are nothing more than Torn ligaments And old broken hips I navigate your body with my finger tips Memorizing every word hidden within your skin Messages of pain and missives of pleasure You are living Braille underneath me But we cannot light this fire If we continue to throw all of the matches Into the lake The smoke from the flames coating our tongues Like serpents that cannot speak We hold them back between the bars of or teeth because of fear: The four letter creature that lives inside of all of us.
I no longer scream to be heard. Polite smiles and “thank you’s” instead of belly laughs and word vomit gushes. My family is fine and addiction never came to visit. I now know when sharing is “too much,” The wave of desperation doesn’t exchange casual greetings with my inner saleswoman. “Take me! Love me! I’ll give you my beating heart in a laced gift box for just a glance!” I never apologized for you leaving so abruptly, I am no longer fazed by the men who don’t love me.
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