
You wear him around your neck like an ancient amulet,
Such a pretty Judas dressed in the costume of a Capulet.
Your left eye twitches when he mentions the name of another
So you shed one more snake skin and make him your lover.
You tighten the chains, you ensure he’s always close,
And you do the laundry only to smell all his clothes –
Just to obsess over a jacket with a hint of my perfume
So you can christen it with fire while your ego fumes.
You crack the emergency glass a bit more each time,
Smearing blood on his collar, thinking it’s a lipstick of mine.
I’m patient – but the moment your grip becomes a noose,
The sensation of your heartbeats fading will erase our truce.
-JW



