awake, then die
in the arms of a modified lover
sleep, then dream
in the absence of a tangible lover
envision, then sing
in the thralls of a hungry lover

To die, to sleep; To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;

I cry often.
I cry and cleanse my
face with my tears and
swim to the center
of it all.
A center that
I have written about a
thousand times, forever etched
into the porcelain.

I cry as the laughter inside me drowns
and descends
into the water
with the ghosts of our union.

I spread my fingers outward,
letting the knife tip of my
middle finger rip the sky as
it tares a rift in the moon.

runaway my phantom bride
and take your bouquet of poisonous flowers
float away specter
and take the rest of my desire