Sweet in the Bitter

Tug on the sleeves of the shirt tied around my waist, tug me to your hips,

Make every goodbye a tiny heartbreak of longing,

Sand down the points of my teeth,

I couldn’t hurt you if I tried.

Heal the uneasy sickness in my belly with one look,

Would your talons ever break my skin?

I think it might open willingly if you asked nicely.

Our kindness and cruelty blend in the melting pot, all purple,

Two wrongs make a right if we’re both unworthy.

Forehead to forehead, cheek to cheek,

Pass out hand in hand.

Let’s share a coffin, or an urn,

Ashes with ashes, corpse with corpse,

Our bones would fuse if our skin weren’t in the way,

Together, with no need for a cast.

If our cuts get too close together they pull like magnets,

Your bruises ache in my heart,

Every blink, every breath empty if not shared with you.

I’ll lick your wounds and pick the ticks from your fur if you’ll look me in the eye,

I’ll love you the way fire loves hair,

I’ll never get enough,

We’ll burn down, drowning in our own wax until we spill out across the floor.

I’ll dance with you,

Our hooves chipping the hardwood.

Would you prefer sharp fangs or a sharp tongue, my dear?

I’ll embody the screams behind my face if you will too,

They’re only loud until we look like them,

Until the moss weaves us over.