“Portrait of Kristin, Summer 2016” by Ireashia Monét

1.

never again will I be told
how beautiful I am in love
through a mouth that forgot
how to love me
and believe it

2.

my torso a noxious cloud
on quieter days I imagine
how to smother you with it

3.

it occurs to me
scabbed-over and distant
is the optimal combination

4.

I’ve learned two mouths
can each deserve
better than the other

5.

temporal a word you once
taught me in a long explanation
it applies to everything now

6.

the shard in my palm
has no memory of the bottle
that planted it there

7.

a boy I can’t see
calls us chi chi from the dark
I do not translate

8.

Black as I am I will not
get used to being a ghost
that gives you everything

9.

fireworks bud
over each passing city
the radio towers
are stunned