i remember how he could
take dark blood and turn it into
red wine
he could kiss the blue and red of my bruise
and turn it into a deep sunset flickering in my window
i remember how he could whisper into my ear and i would be at ease
he could place his soft lips that i knew had been somewhere besides mine and tell me he would never cheat
i knew he was lying but sometimes lies can sound so sweet
when the tears rolled down my face he pressed his fingers against the
apples of my cheeks, making me feel alright as though i was at peace
i remember when he left for work but was gone beyond his hours
i asked him where he'd been although it was clear on my face
the smell of liquor and another girl's fragrance was too hard to embrace
i shut my eyes, prepared for the strike
- zuzu
