As if you never
breathed fire into cold veins,
scraped chill from frozen bones,
licked frosted loins warm again

When days and nights
were filled with your fingers,
tongue annointing flesh,
lapping life from the brink
of death

where each breath caught
in throat was eased,
warm liquid satisfaction
of you to cure the ill,
broken pieces of me filled
with non-medicinal ointment

when days and nights
became filled with your fists,
boots annointing flesh,
clinging to life from the brink
of death

As if you never
breathed cruelty into warm veins,
scraped skin from reddened cheeks,
licked blood from open sores

explain once more
to the doctors how I am clumsy,
fall so often down the stairs,
trip over shoes in the dark

where each breath caught
in throat is a curse,
warm liquid nutrition
attempts to cure the ill,
broken pieces of me filled
with medicinal ointment

when days and nights
are wishes for silence,
priest annointing flesh,
last rites to allow me death,
so it may be

as if you never

were