Bruised Teeth
to N/F — I hope this gives you hiccups
That’s what I call her in my head.
The L-word. Hair the colour of a fire
if it was made into a crayon
and melted. My first. (Technically
you were but we
will not talk about it
as is the case with most
illegal things.)
There’s no real reason for this nickname.
This was that kind of time —
photos of cappuccinos followed by fan
castings followed by inspiring quotes
from the latest YA.
No reason, just pure aesthetic.
My Friend from Faro was my Call Me
By Your Name and red
was still warmer than blue
(in your case,
maroon).
There was no awakening —
more like a foghorn blaring somewhere
in the background. A wake-up call
I chose to ignore just like the all-beloved
Gatsby. This was his time and he did
well, built a home in my lonely mind,
convinced me that garb and garnish
can solve any problem.
Those that remained
could be flicked away by laughing loudly
then crying as if it was an extension of the laugh.
As if the toilet bowl is not the worst mirror.
Geologies
To be stuck
between
a rock and a hard
place assumes
that the rock does not talk
does not try to
convince you
of its soft
potential
its willingness
to squeeze
every
sharp-toothed
crystal capable
of drawing blood
from its unformed
mouth
and kiss it all better.
This assumption
has a twin that believes some rocks
are meant to
weight down
in meaning
not in body
a grounded
reality that is only hard
because you are
not trying
because it is all
in your head and the medicine
stopped working
and you missed the prescription
train.
The rock will not
tell you it is a rock
will not identify
itself
and it does not have to
the stubbing numb
force of a kick
the sign to look
for.
Orchid
Suggested
presentation: framed
in gold and
placed inside a pure white room.
White on white on
golden
frilled white — a
world suspended in luxury.
The orchid’s
lifecycle cannot compare
to the garden of
stocks no fertilizer can match
with a green not
yet seen on the colour wheel.
Its waxy petals
hold the secret to immortality
because
lifelessness is another form of suspense.
Suggested care:
minimal, performative.
Enough to convey
homeliness
without the weight
of attachment.
