Perceiving the Sun

dead things. ribbons undone. knots in her smile opening. the distance drawn in red markers. Teasing our proximity. To the end. Such beautiful monsters. With the ugly on top of them.

small graves. to fit ourselves in. no room for regret. long funerals. the cusp of sleep. licking her cheek. never letting her taste its lips. always chasing the end. never quite catching it.

finger to thigh. needles on concrete. gasping for movement. eye to tongue. rodents in the wood pile. eating their young. to starve the cat.

the plush of the drug stiffens. swallows her. velvet jaws with iron teeth. take small bites. until every bone is empty. the monster in the evening gown keeps dancing. until the music stops. crippled snakes with their fangs in their fists.