those faces, clenched tight into a fist.
choruses of blue veins stem alive
from the chest.
pause—laws stop
the swing of his heels.
lies, lies, lies,
his hands aren’t tied.
his claws attack,
his claws come back,
to steal the pain.
this is the game of
wronged chemistry
taking a turn—when will they learn?
everything has an ending
and this, them, that is no exception,
nothing like
redemption, looming in the creases
of skins.
sins staggering in his eyes.
nobody is surprised that she is
denied of love, life, lust,
stings the air, carefully pinching trust on
the cheeks
for weeks she cries,
only because his hands refuse to tie.
why, oh, why…