My body twirls around like a ballerina,
To the beat of Carly Rae, and my eyes
Catch yours from across the room as I
Catch my breath; you took it away with
One smile, and my cheeks burned as
Hot as the gift of Prometheus’ first flame
Then you saunter over with confidence,
Or overconfidence, into my life and you
Cup my cheeks into your hands and the
Cold tips of your fingers send shivers
Down my spine; I find myself leaning
Into it, closing my eyes, tilting upwards
Into a kiss as soft as a vanilla sundae on
A warm summer day, and I let the tidal
Wave of emotions crash into me as our
Tongues drown out all the uncertainty
Of falling in love again, the story is too
Overused, yet here I am following you
Up the stairwell and into the balcony
Where the moon keeps us company as
We kiss again and your hands entangle
Themselves into my hair: half-dyed like I
Knew that I’ll never be ready to commit,
But your lust brings me warmth like the
Sun, are you the reincarnation of Icarus?
Son of Daedalus, don’t be too proud
For if you fly too far away from me again
You will burn into ashes, to be scattered
Into the mischievous wind, that loves to
Ruffle my hair into a mess; you laugh as
Seagulls converse overhead while we
Stretch our arms out into mauve skyline
I wonder what it’s like to have wings too
And I consider flying away, but I catch
Movements from the corner of my eye;
I find you getting down on one knee
A time mage: you slow down the world
Into fragments of precious memory as
You hand me a paper ring: a testament
To the flimsiness of our relationship, for
We never took our love seriously, as we
Dance around the topic of commitment
Yet we have often taken it for granted
Because our love was always too much
To the point of spilling over, like milk
That’s spoiled because it was forgotten.
But not to worry: I will never forget you
Because your name is tattooed on the
Crook of my neck; I’ll always remember
“I’m yours” before I remember myself
And how I would think of all the words I
Want to say, but my feet refuse to move
As hesitation courses through my veins
I am solitary in my igloo: a frozen statue
“Doc, I’m self-diagnosing hypothermia”
Music is the only thing to break through
Let Mitski and Lana del Rey sing a duet
Accompaniment made of sad and sex
I wasn’t wearing any lipstick that night
Thinking that you were going to kiss me
My mascara were my tears, creating a
Puddle as deep as the Antarctic Ocean;
Drink me up and tell me I taste as good
As the drinks that we’d always down
We shared the same palette; we craved
The same effervescent cocktail, and felt
The same effect: immense inebriation;
Stumbling, drunk on the notion of love
But the buzz dissipates faster each time;
For some reason, there is a tension that
Separates us from the intimacy that we
Once knew: something feels different;
I can tell from the proclamations of love
Said with underlying resignation, finality
We were chasing an invisible deadline
Unaware that we were even bound by it
First move in a game of love: tentatively
I test the waters; they were murky, but I
Dip, plunge, and subsequently drown
Yet your body stiffens in my exploration
“Is my touch no longer welcome here?”
I wonder aloud with incredulity: ironic
That I’ve been demoted to a stranger
By the person that I once called home
I linger silently in the figurative doorway
My eyes staring at you, pleading for you
But yours were misty, forlorn: looking at
Someplace: far away from where we are
Sitting on the edge of the mattress, you
Touch me but your caresses don’t linger
And a troubling slumber overtakes me
I dreamt of nothing, of infinite darkness
That breaks at the light of dawn, and my
Brittle heart shatters into little pieces as
I realize you were no longer by my side;
I called your name, dialed your number
All I got was a steady tone, mechanical
Like how I shoved the comforter off me
It was heavier than expected or maybe I
Feel something else weighing me down
Like the growing knowledge that I was
Left alone again, in this room that feels
Colder, and I feel so exposed like Eve
After being seduced by the Snake who
Made humans feel naked; my eyes drift
Towards the mirror leaning on the wall
A stranger reflects back at me, looking
Like a mess with its makeup grotesque
How do I scrub the stain of sin off skin?
I need to cover up, so I avert my gaze;
I bend my knees and meet the oak floor
Gingerly, I pick up my discarded clothes
There was a sickening similarity in how I
Felt discarded myself, but I will be okay
Because this happened already before;
This Odyssey is due to repeat its story
Again, my body will be swept by fate to
Another beach in another ocean where
Another castaway will gladly accept my
Residual love; he too has little to return
My skin flares with sudden recollection
Your name was a prayer I’ve memorized
I forget how it sounds on my lips, but
Another voice will chant it to your ears
The voice of a manic pixie dream girl
Her doe eyes sparkling with innocence
As they reflect the tiny sunbeams from
Springtime’s star; she’s already blinded
By the intense love you will shower her;
I will be the wallflower smelling faintly
Of carnations and wisteria, wondering
Wistfully if you will glance my way again
