Dial Me Broken

Trust that my need
to speak with you today
is crucial,
that my need
to hear your voice
above the heavily
trafficked silence
is pivotal to my existence.
No email or text message
will do,
don’t two-way or page me
I refuse
to bookmark this demand.
I need you
to whisper reassurance
through the currents,
as if I were the wire
your voice, the insulation;
may it electrify my skin again.

Our heart’s chambers and secrets
have their beats relinquished,
hung in the pendulous mind
of my alcoholic grandfather clock;
still downing our future
in shot glasses,
chasing it with my hopes
not bitter enough to spew back,
simply waiting
to be fermented.

So kindle me,
watch me scintillate excuses
still beaming for forgiveness.
Hold me between your fingers
and I’ll fuel your addiction
between the lighter
and your lips.
Inhale me slowly,
savor me long within your chest
as if the fumes of my lies
were what you needed
to survive;
and I’ll dance
forever with this moment
as if it’ll last longer
than steam on mirrors.