lover, am i your scarlet ibis?
you bandage me gravely-
i can’t keep myself from picking the scabs.
we are bludgeoned morosely.
your arms like a cradle,
shielding me from a burning storm,
will you save yourself when i begin to drown?
how long can you stand to breathe life into me?
-Excerpt from my poetry book \"Temptations of a Splintered Heart\"-