The words and the wounds are the same,
everything they've always been, bright pink
and partially healed, but never sure enough
to take that final step, the walk to the finish.

Your smile is a hole in my chest. Always.
There's no parting with it. It's the place
where my voice comes out, singing,
meeting the air and knowing that
life will find a way to get around us,
whether we try to be happy or not.

I can lose you, but I can't lose me.
I'm stuck with myself, my envelope.
Your handwriting, the stamp you
had on the edge of your tongue.
Assimilated into the rest of my skin.
I'll carry on, no matter how maimed by love.
I'll suffer my humanity to make me human.
With a grin, I'll bear it. I'll know.
That's the only way you stay alive.

05/26/2005

Posted on 05/27/2005
Copyright © 2025 Aaron Blair