you were as beautiful as a car crash
that last time i saw you,
with eyes as delicate as
glass against pavement,
lips set straight in line
like the telephone pole
reaching skyward
and bending to catch you.
where we fell and
where the daylight seeped away entirely,
i left my sanity for awhile
for the sake of
keeping your arms
around [me] a little longer.
warmth
without any comfort at all,
found it is possible to fall
[out of love]
with
you.
sorry for the mattress &
the painkillers & that big
stain on your calendar;
throw it away and buy yerself
a new pet darling with some
prettier
hands
all the nicer to hold in your own,
all the more lovely the path
to destruction.
i am a telephone pole &
you are exploding-
i will not bend to catch you,
honey.

(2003)