My instincts cannot comprehend
The necessity of affectation
They implore me to drink
Even as I stand before you now
Drunk on the nuance of your exhale
*
I study you under a sodium vapor lamp
A love, that on entreaty would destroy
My tongue tampers with the dimensions
Of your smile, wondering if a promise could
Be suctioned from your failing lungs
Like a child’s petulant cry for mercy
*
I prefer the invention of romance
To its application, some moments
Become astringent when held
Too long against the palate
*
The suspicion of maneuver
Tears tenderly at my heart,
But my pride is not forthcoming
mindlovemisery 