this is a story i have told myself already:
but a hand reached out
of that fiery, turgid depth.
it was a shaken and pale shoot
and it was mine.
i looked at it. it plunged into
the presence of you as if
into water.
as if
into
water,
distilled
and shattered
against
a pit
of glass:
smooth
and clear
as inverted
sunlight.
my love demands
what it can:
this
very heart
is yours.
save
me
from
my own
flesh.