There’s a boy with laughter lines around his dark eyes. He gave me an orange blossom once. And I thought I was beautiful, just for a second there. But he never followed me when I left. Silence fell and it got cold again. And I tried to hold on as tightly as I could. But flowers wither and words fade.

*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

It’s cold tonight. Snowflakes have settled on my hair and the moonlight is pooling in my eyes. I stare emptily at the sky, still clinging on my half-forgotten dreams. I’m stockpiling feathers and secret hopes and all of your guilt. Your black hole eyes are pulling me in, but you are not in love with me. It’s 3:01am and I can’t sleep. I don’t want to be Atlas anymore. I want to soar on starlit skies with helium wings.

*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

{When your lips touched mine you put breath back in my lungs
– now I’m terrified of exhaling.}