gristle stuck between my tooth and gum, a digging that brings about all sorts of damage to rattlesnakes on the mend. you were the dream i could not let go off, a haunting of whispers and tears and seared flesh that tasted bitter at first followed by a sweet aftertaste. i drank wine for water, a thirst i could never quench but only be thwarted by suspicions and the lack of glamor. we had two stories to tell, and neither had a plot worth mentioning, only the sites of graves too muddy to fill and i was entrenched. there are no real words for this, only imaginary ones for winged beasts and furry men without hearts, but it was very real your nails raked over my cheeks gouging my eyes for pearls and my mouth for forgiveness. i had promised you would never be forsaken, but here we were straddling camels on opposite sides of a desert rife with chasms, sun burnt and lacking.