My flesh was stripped clean
The moment I saw your wine glass
Stretch itself from the counter
All the way over to his table

And you lingered
And hovered near by him
It doesn’t matter that his nonsense
Is only a flash moment in time
And he’ll be gone
At the very least
With the morning trash

I’ve been hooked and spun on you
Locked tight
Mind in a whip spot crash
A tunnel to blindness where my casket is waiting

I pull loose a piece of glass from my thumb
And tuck it inside my shoe to save it for later
I may want to lick clean my blood
And memorize the flavor
Of its hate for him and its love for you

And I now realize how absurd it all sounds
For you are nothing more
Than my hurt wanting a soft place to heal
And a warm heart to surrender my strength

And your beautiful eyes
That only seem to know my soul
Because if they did they would see my pain
And grant it a safe place to hide

© 4/30/1997
William Grant Preston

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