Lullabies

(when they came
to burn me
they found only ashes
arranged like wings

no one talks
about how gardens rot
how lullabies lie
how even the softest place
can sharpen its teeth
once you fall far enough)

i swallowed his promises
like holy wine
bitter
burning
bleeding

(Remember
even the body of christ
can choke you
if you're starving enough
to devour it whole)

when he left
he didn't slam the door
he left it cracked open
just wide enough
for hope to rot in

that's the cruelest kind of goodbye
the almost..

he did not kiss me
like i was delicate
he kissed me
like i was dying
and he wanted
to drink my last breath

we didn't make love
we built altars
out of our bodies
and worshipped each other
like gods who knew
they wouldn't survive the night

he took nothing
but the woman
i used to be
(All of them)

he didn't even say goodbye

he just left his ghosts
on the bed
and inside the walls

they sing his name
when i try to sleep
their breath
keeps fogging up the mirror

till this day
they whisper
that he's coming home
and sometimes
i almost
believe them