Negotiation.

you smelled like cigarettes
and cheap beer
but i didn't mind
assuming that one day
you would become
my new favorite candy

three let downs later
i became mad
and decided to mold you
out of
clay
that happens to fit so perfectly
to the fakeness that is your name
and the sickness that is your nature
yet never have i seen
an ecosystem thrive
so self-destructive
yet so beautiful

your fingertips looked electric
even devilish
as i imagined them
running across my markings
like they don't set me apart
you reaching for my shaky hand
to experience my nervous soul
one
you will not doubt
shake
as if it were maple trees
bare
yet fresh
eager to crawl out
of this haze

love cannot just be a feeling
but sometimes
we feel so lost
as the smothering of our bodies
in salt water
becomes vital
to preserve life
hoping others
won't feast
on what's left

let me learn the way of your ribs
growing within
like little weeds through cracks
i will not desecrate your intentions
or hinder
your movements
i just want to be closer
to a beating heart

and though natural warmth
emanates from the sun
my hands will choose
to stay cold
unless they are tucked
beneath your arms