First night, last morning

I broke the rules this morning,

Spreading color on my face in front of him,

Shamelessly talking behind a door that never closes,

Latched against my own anxieties.

There are two of you,

He told me, kneeling, head in my hands

And they are at war.

So what? I asked, what if that’s how it should be,

What if everyone else is wrong,

Why does everyone need to say something is wrong.

Well, think about it, no living creature wants to die

Or live in pain, you’re stripping the gears,

One day they will be bare.  I know, I told him,

But what am I supposed to do?

Shall I pour myself into his eyes,

Forgetting until… or….

Grow a thicker skin, kill one of these two,

Live far away from myself forever?

Footsteps in the kitchen, someone is listening,

And I didn’t have to ask; he already knew.