my reptile hands could not hold you
the tendons and veins burst like the sparklers our families set off together on that sweaty night in July
sitting in folding chairs, we found a lizard in the grass
like a skink i shed my skin to keep you warm
i wrapped you in my pale peels
and you shriveled up from heat stroke
now i cling, i keep my scales close
my poisonous epidermis burns and scars like hot coals
better to burn yourself than another
it’s better to let go and not smother
i’m searing, are these tears or sweat
the back of my shirt is all wet
fabric balmy and damp
when i love i don’t hold, i clamp
my cold coursing blood is the only escape from the heat
suddenly i’m shivering shaking in sheets
looking for the long lost warmth in the light of a blunt
cover up my goose bumps put i’ll put up a good front
i wade in our breakage like an ice bath
you got cold feet, cold fingers, lost circulation from a promise ring that no longer fits
loneliness and independence feel like a glacier
there are no reptiles living in the arctic
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