relic girl (for memory) [ink on charcoal]

by any name

pup shivers in the water

& her speech

explodes

in tiny patterns

splatters open but she

felt

hot

when she dove

barely swallowed wouldn't read ahead

of the bloodletter

wet, semiotic

pup, she took the curve in her maw, like a bird, kissed

the brittle ground, in little ways

she's embodied

by god

(just stop if

it makes you

uncomfortable

to have me, but)

i know, i

(made sense when you planned to stay

longer than it took, to reject

what i am, to forget

what you are)

felt worse

than a lie in your mouth

i put your lips to mine, crossing

my fingers, i was watching

the moon

in eclipse

(i felt sick, i was sick)

you were thinking of me

all along, and i thought of a gift

my body! it could be what you

feed, drag around, make useful

mhm! i lick sugar off floors

till they're clean

(see!! i'm a girl! i just

keep getting it

right

every time)

did i do it for you? look at me

i watch you when you look away

don't take that from me

do i like it when you do? tell me about

truth

in the colour i want

everything

my paws hurt, i hurt them

on you, kept them

& it hurts looking down

now it gets better

if i love

(& i remember how it

feels but i'm

never giving up

on you)