Exalt

man, i'd take some time out,
take a breath, rum, the air - for a second, for a moment.

i want to tell you something forbidden.


cold cogs, warm cogs, thicken
juice up along my maligering heart, my purple beast
these words will tell you something forbidden
in the toke of the morning and the
final beauty of a rushing mist, and we kiss
we kiss, and those second kisses and those
tongues removed from mouths and placed along
shin or hip, and all of it, in all of
it, i think

man, i think i love you
with raw words, with pure body, shaken arms, seizing
fingertips, with eyes and nose and side-of-palm
i think, tonight, this morning, yesterday forever gone, i think -
i know

i love you.


chest and chest press, bright mountain of nipple and skin
pressure, sweet crust, what is this peace,
this fricative, this pace, this knit of
bone and man and face and face


but then
alone, later
jealous, caustic blood cleans up a head
the alcohol leaves, bears away, dries - i forget
everything, your name, your name
you name.







*