i put my
shaking fingers to
my lips
rough under my
touch
soft lips are
for models with
smooth skin and
lithe bodies

it offers no solace
the world does not
right itself
fear is a faraway
dream
foolish to think
that a simple
touch would
make it all better
like a mother's
cool breath on a
stinging wound
let go
the fog would take me
away
and i could finally
rest
no thought
no feelings
nothing

it is only a
whisper of an emotion
none i can name
that holds me fast
so i don't
fly away
to be as
light as air
cradled in a stream of
nothingness
a child
all at once
strong
and all at once
helpless

this unnamed
foe
this dragon to
my princess
creates a void
fathomless
in my mind
a black hole to
drop in
a sedative running
running
along the dark
passageways in my
veins

a nail
pressed into
thin flesh
yields no pain
no more than a deep
crescent of blood

i drift into the
black
the fight a
colorless memory
it does not matter
nothing does