by Patrick Fiorilli
Artwork, “Kat” by Hailey Brown
i’ve never tasted
someone else’s
blood before,
but, christ,
the way you write
reminds me of
the time I choked
on pennies as a child.
and i mean that
as a compliment.
i’m left to think
how best to imitate
your sanguine graces –
the ways you’ve found
to dredge up beauty
out of depths
all too human.
ah, but how
that mission’s
clouded by the urge
to cut my tongue
across those whetted
teeth of yours
and slice it open.
and being thus bereft
of eloquence,
i’ll bleed and bark
and splatter truths
the likes of which
i’ve never written.
and then i’ll mop
up all the blood,
and gather all the pages,
and read each one
before I throw them
all away.
you deserve better thoughts than mine.