and there i was,

in the city of a thousand suns;
you swell the most at the seams
like a washed-up whale carcass
ripening to the point of failure,
even in death, you’ll make a bang.
and dead you were –
you smiled at me,
with rosy lips.

i stepped forward,
drawn between the thorns that
grew between your teeth, and
the aroma of wildflower honey
you drown your words in.

you opened your mouth wider,
i peered in, wondering where
the bees were kept –
with jagged teeth,
you bite down.
severing the head from
body –

like a capillary wick,
my tongue draws from
my heart, refilling my
mouth with one last
ode to you.