painted lady
(5.20.21)

a heart pounds against my chest with a fist
closed so tight i can feel the outline
i wait.
i've learned to be quite patient, i realize.
i wait. i struggle to find the path that leads out of those eyes.
i wait. i've been here one thousand hours, searching for something
to dimish my unworthy ties
i wait. everything matters when nothing matters, i find.
i wait. dust collects in the crevices of my body as i lie
i wait. you never let up, do you?
i'm spent in my mind.
i wait. this shouldn't be fair.
i wait. it should be illegal.
i wait. the crime should be punishable by death.
i wait. and my heart has died.
my lungs
my throat
my bones throw me a funeral
eaten alive by painted ladies stone reads.
i wait. after the service i open my eyes to another pair.
i sigh.

~8:45