putting down the rope

i love watching people stop to listen to him
and i wonder if they’ve stopped
for the same reason i did
back when the moon was full

joy harmonizing
with the notes
he plays

the butterflies landed
and kissed all of the
scars on her skin

i never thought about what weak in the knees meant
until i met you and you made me quake and quiver
and i worried for a moment when your lips were on mine
that my legs would crumble beneath me

i wanted to know you from the moment i saw you
so don’t think me strange for being excited
that you wanted to know me, too

i did not give you permission
to scoop out my seeds
and carve yourself in my skin

there are still monsters hiding under the bed of my body
under my skin, between my legs, in my hair
there are cobwebs that i won’t let anyone sweep away
for fear of awakening the creatures down below
you tell me to reach in and pull the monsters out
to be brave and go inside, claws first, and rip them from me
but you don’t understand how sharp their teeth are
how strong they’ve gotten while existing in me
i am not brave enough to reach in on my own