i can see the errors in my grammar
and bite my tongue to avoid mistakes
before i speak.
chopsticks balanced crumbs
stabbed my lips,
splintered your thumbs.
when my angel died,
it was still about your splinters.
empathy was out to lunch.
your paranoia dragged my bones down marble staircases
shattered my teeth against the curb
and demanded I smile pretty for the public.
put the puzzle together
inside a barbed wire hug
and love,
unconditionally.
