blistered lips

because she must
and the world is not parenthesized
never small at all
and her heart is even bigger
than any of it
or you or me

even yesterday
when she lived in the cup of your hand
with your bantam voice
the tablature of her days
the sway blessing
was upon her

and then this moment
while she sleeps in the cramp of your bruise
god gives you this: that
love is a circle and absolute
and so she binds you
now and always

ever tomorrow
and a thousand tomorrows redeemed
over and over
to lose what we gain, gain what we lose
and so love gives us
all that we are

because she must
because she’s blessed
because she knows
because she loves

there she goes
see her jumping the brilliant rainbow?
little girl in a hurry

i dream of you
i dream of you and wake to you

i wake to your mysterious sweetness
a thick confection of dark enchantment
i wake to you: my dark lord singing
my savior complete in faceless armor

so close now: i can hear your mouth move
so close now: i feel your breath
deep in my belly

intoning metered, delicious seduction
you unfold me
you unravel me
you stretch my chaste limbs
horizon to horizon

you whisper, you murmur
you speak in tongues
your mouth is music
your mouth is prayer
electric canticles for celibate flesh

this is bethlehem, sweet lover
this is calvary, my darling

and my body, now liquid, forgets its slumber
my voice, now full, forgets its silence

and

i genuflect in glory and cry amen

the scent of her
is on you like a tattoo
marking your craven mouth
for the servant that it is

your greedy cock
will snivel and bob and strain
but cunt is your drug
and you are her marked man

her claret blood
stains your bloated lips
and cunt is your drug
and you are her scarlet secret

your rigid prick
will bargain and weep and thrum
but cunt is your drug
and you are her clay pigeon

her flaxen piss
seasons your obedient tongue
and cunt is your drug
and you are her golden boy

your diligent meat
will mewl and seize and shiver
but cunt is your drug
and you are her wicked bitch

her butter liqueur
bridles your debauched face
and cunt is your drug
and you are her candy man

the smell of her
is on you like a birthmark
annotating your avocation
previewing your impediment
bookmarking your bewitchment

because cunt is your drug
and she feeds you well

there is something
in the movement of my body against your skin

i feel it always.

your breath, an endless empty lyric:
that skin deep is not always lawless
nor reckless with secrets.

and so you soap your skin
and keep it slick:
you cannot have me stick after all.
and you hold your breath
like liquid gold might pour from your lips
if you opened wide and whispered the truth.

still I stay close
and still i move my body against your skin
trying to reach you around your corners.

around the corners of you
where on your other side
i will grind mud into your pores
and smack your greedy mouth
again and again and again.

until you scream out.
scream, scream, scream.
and we both see
and you know
(as if you don’t already)
that the secrets of your skin
were only rumors started by you
and the secrets of your held tongue
were merely widely held beliefs.

it’s the bitch in her
that keeps you on her dotted line
signed, sealed, delivered
your signature, her hand
done deal

used up and faded blue
the new you
(after all)

after all:
buckled down and tied up
your twisted tongue and caught breath
searching for sonnets

searching for sonnets
on hobbled limbs
and always archiform knees
to sing, to plead, to offer alms
to your silent siren
who never listens, never speaks
who only hears her own measure

it’s the bitch in her
that keeps you here and keeps you hers:
her cheap fetish
her pygmy romeo
her corrupt fuck

it’s the bitch in her
that’s taken you down
rubbed you raw
cut you clean
wiped you out
bled you, bled you, bled you

it’s the bitch in her
that fucks with you
fucks you up
fucks you over
and doesn’t give
a flying fuck about any of it

it’s the bitch in her
that has your attention
your cock, your devotion, your heart

it’s the bitch in her
that makes you her bitch

he teaches me

and i listen

i learn

because a man on his knees

brings wisdom

brings honor

brings so much more

than most would hope to get

and i can still not believe

i am given

and so I listen

i watch your mouth
pure-boy rubicund
sweet-boy sugared
not kissed enough, not nearly enough
to my way of thinking
not nearly fucking enough

your lips

let me eat them
gnaw on them
spit on them
then lick it back off
then swallow it
our spit, our mouth-cum

suck on them
swallow them
bite them
fuck them with my cunt-mouth
rubicund too, rabid with need

then kiss them
kiss you
kiss me

with my real mouth
my girl mouth
my carnivore-mouth
my bitch-cannibal mouth
my slut-succubus mouth

kiss me

i think of you:

your warrior’s heart
its toughened blister
-but not for me
-not ever for me

has served you well:

keeper of your flame
it’s kept your secrets
kept your seasoned wit
kept your quiet expectations
kept your easy wisdom

kept you for me
everything for me
all of you for me
always for me
forever for me

just waiting for me:

to untether its strings
puncture its wound
untangle its weave

and I am here:

so that we shall fold
this rare metal
this precious metal
this noble metal
this keeper of your heart
this weathered chain mail

and keep it safe
as it has kept you

pretty things
the things that make us dream
and pray and sing and dance

this is you

my prettiest thing of all

i shall drape you ’round my neck
or wind you through the tresses of my hair
or smooth you like lotion into my skin

you will be the blush that tints
the sovereign scent
the sun-hued tan
the one true smile line
the pink scar that fades not ever
the birth bruise that stays forever

and i will be a pretty thing
your pretty thing
the pretty thing we made together

you will kneel for her
breathe her nectar
worship her flesh

crawl to serve
live to serve
die to serve

you are her warrior prince
her captive
her nursemaid
her cocksmith
her whipping post

you will bow to her
her voice is music
her touch is baptism

give her your life
live to give all
die to give all

you are her manservant
her dark star
her touchstone
her birthright
her blessed one

you will cry for her
endure for her always
belong to her only

be everything for her
live to be everything
die to be everything

you are her favored slave
her rocketeer
her manboy
her prerogative
her choice