Listen.

Worlds Apart Stands the Ruiner and His Disease

Upon the bureau
I have laid to waste
Any commemorative memorabilia
Of the being that used to be me
I as a used vessel
Not set to sail upon the wavering tides of the beaten sea

I am the ocean
When at peace
Tranquility invites a soul to take
To be
Arrested for possession of the truth
Released, she claimed, “I will set you free”
Instead she wrapped her legs around my waist
Like a caged animal
I’ve become accustomed to my inheritance
She is the creature scratching through layers upon layers
Of whom I used to be
Now all of which is just lost on me

This harpoon to the heart
Will make any caged bird sing
For its last will, meal, and testament

Rest in peace
Oh little blue bird, I am he
You are she

As the devil and God wage war inside of me
My heart is the mediator
Sent to settle and serve the papers upon my release
“Here I am, take me in your willful hands”
With nothing better to do
I accept the challenge
To sleep without sleeping
To love without loving
I die a little while inside the sheets
Tucked in at the bed’s sleeves

The world stands still
As I wait to stop spinning
Aero-dynamically
I am shape-shifting
Through space
Yet lacking the time or energy
For anything more than a simple fling
With a cheapened soul
Left so degraded through years
That she now takes my pride
As something of a bargaining chip

We collectively sigh
At the end of a discussion about the politics of sex
While I hesitate
Watching her writhe with anticipation
For the truth to seep from my pores
Bored in this instance
At the end of the bed

I close my eyes
And time stands still
While my boredom dissipates
With each head-turning, backwards glance in my direction
From the overpaid mistress of attention
Whose flesh molds in my whitening grip
Thighs so weak
Knees shaking
Bed-stirring
And I am in
Don’t count me out just yet
I will be your willing cadaver
The caviar whose seeds you spit out
So cheaply