We lie face to face,
the contours of our bodies inked in counterpoint.
Each of us one curve of a candle’s flame,
holding close, between us just the vapor of sighs.
Thrills fill my veins with kerosene,
that mass of beating muscle ignites,
and my cheeks burn magenta.
His breath whistles while he sleeps,
a crackling campfire against my ear,
and my chest boils over
with a sweetness bright enough
to take away shadows.
When I flicker, he steadies me,
and when I’m nothing but embers,
he keeps me alight in his arms.
