leaving was never easy
she cried
through broken tongues and shattered
teeth; but that was so long ago
and she cannot remember the pain
scarred by her goodbyes.

and such twisted words they were!
malicious mind games, those
found plaguing dreams with
bloodthirsty monsters cloaked
in the skin of friends (of lovers

past and present, and the future
looks just as grim. nothing lasts
when you are made of glass and
everything you touch rips open
and bleeds)

and yes, she too cries through
gritted teeth, spilling words like
rotten milk, biting her tongue
with every breath, drawing enough
blood to fill ten thousand vials

one for each lover she left behind
and six for each she never had

she speaks in a foreign tongue
to all who know her best,
though she whispers secrets
and dreams to the constellations
that dissipate as the morning
sun dawns a new day.

(you are not so fake at midnight,
and perhaps that's why you
always choose to leave by then.)

03/16/2004

Author's Note: i don't know if this makes sense anymore. i don't know if it's supposed to.

Posted on 03/17/2004
Copyright © 2024 Lauren Pearl