love – Undusted Corners

☿

A pair of fading bruises the size of thumbprintspaint my inner thighwhere you once marked me as yours,though you were never mine. kfw 2024

I claw at the ragged edges of sleep,curled up in a ball on the cast-off loveseatat the end of my bed,while you sleep soundly, legs akimbo,on the mattress. What conversation is there to be had?What rest is there to gain? I loved until my lungs were bruised.I loved until my blood ran clear. I’ve nothingContinue reading “Arnika”

“If you think I look bad, you should see the other guy.”

Such pains evade the eternally ephemeral—the ones only landing lightly,A brush against a cheek so gentle you’d almost think you’d dreamed it.So soft.So fleeting. We landed too hard this time,The both of us.Left an imprint on your faceScraped your noseSliced your chin, just there. Just so. And me, as much the worse for wearBruised downContinue reading ““If you think I look bad, you should see the other guy.””

On all the little altars

Where the saints are grāmadevatās,and Jesus, a bodhisattva,I bathe youin my tearseach night.Each dayI scrapemy calloused fingersas I string,string,stringjasmine,marigold,oleander,to adorn your memory. kfw 2022

abscission

The last leaves fall like reluctant fledglings pushed from the nest. We stood beneath them as they were birthed in the Spring, budding forth a silent audience to our entwined unburdening. Now they rest beneath my feet, holding a hundred and one unspoken griefs; gently releasing them as I walk away. kfw 2021

this is not a playlist.

What are your tiniest, most insignificant regrets? When I was 19 or so, I met a guy at a show at the 40 Watt, the way one does—or I assume the way one does when the music is too loud to carry on an audible conversation—a lot of you noticing them noticing you noticing themContinue reading “this is not a playlist.”

Departures

i. Hiking alone, I venture out onto the creek’s rocky outcrops. The water rushes beneath the rocks, beneath my feet, as the birds air their murmurings. The late-Spring breeze twists around my legs, raises goosebumps on my arms. Half a dozen swallowtails dance above the creek’s surface, then part and return, flying past me asContinue reading “Departures”

The rubric

My personal life is something of an enigma to my coworkers. This is mostly intentional on my part, though I have shared bits and pieces, (only occasionally and almost entirely contextually). Typically, though, no one asks, which makes it easier to not reveal too much. The other day, though, one of my coworkers — afterContinue reading “The rubric”