Power

You say you aim to communicate
I say you aim to assert power over me
We’re both saying the same thing

It doesn’t matter,
There is no language that doesn’t hurt the both of us

I am made of fragility and books
You are a creature of pain and anger
You are a weapon
I am a bullseye

It doesn’t matter,
The only thing we will ever share is shame

Paris

There are streets
Boulevards
Subway stops

Books
Old stones
And songs

The clement wind
Rides on a sunbeam
You bitch about your aching feet
And smile at me

Last time I showed this city
To someone I loved
I was naive and young

Paris is a lesson in
Letting go of things
That will never change

Dancing with Bene

I close my eyes on flashes of purple and blue
Behind my eyelids
Your face is framed by a smile

We dip, step, lift our hands as high as they’ll go
The universe is this
You and me
A beat
Thinking this moment will last forever

And when’s forever’s over
When the club is crowded
And the mojitos are empty
Beyoncé’s come and gone
Leaving our bodies sore, sweaty, satiated

We’ll walk home together
And talk crap about the DJ
Building for ourselves
Another forever

Quotes

He takes out a notebook.
I hear him flipping pages
Through the phone.

In his chicken scratch, he’s written
A quote, for me.
He reads it out loud, in English
Warning me
Not to make fun of his accent:
“If you can’t find a book you want to read,
Write it yourself.”

That’s how I know
This man loves me.

New friends

Kind eyes are the mirror of the soul.
I don’t know about that:
There’s a lot of fucked up shit in there.

A friend and a brother,
A son
Borne out of  wars – battle scars running
Down his spine, anger simmering –
And unfailing love.

In those eyes
I see a person
Who has decades, lifetimes,
Adventures yet to live.
Dragons to slay
Or befriend and care for.

I see strength and kindness,
Loneliness
In those eyes.

I see them
Mirrored in mine.