you learned life the hard way
feet bare for nearly two years
wandering downtown, no fears
spare for the premonition of a blade
puncturing tender flesh
in the streets, you made your bed
keeping warm with thoughts in your head
cabin nestled in a quiet wood
where the horizon bleeds
color not pain
be at peace: those blue&red lights aren’t coming for you
this time, this time like the night you drank too much wine
only a boy, barely twenty, they took you in
picked the innocence off your bones
with pointed teeth; stripped your youth
away with taxpayer’s money
amory blaine, your footprints are trails of puzzle pieces,
attracting women as pure as city air
cracking open your chest with allergies to alley cats
stay drunk, stay in love, drown
your misery in frat house orgies
to forget, to forget the nagging gnawing voices
making home in the back of your head
amory blaine, by the time you met me
your heart was Constantinople
impregnable fortified wall after wall after—
don’t believe the Venetians, stay clear of the Ottomans,
but please
let
me
in
amory blaine, your eyes have seen things
but when I glanced up at you, across the table,
at that coffee shop where the paintings belonged better in a baby’s nursery,
do you know what I saw?
not your English teacher who caused you so much anger
not the actions committed against you out of hatred
not even your irises, dark-roast brown
in your
eyes
winks the specter
of the rest of
my life
dare I call that vision
glorious
