Her and Him

Soft eyes, gentle hands

A burning insecurity under his skin

Dazzling grin, kind words

A flicker of desperation on his lips
He hastens to lick away

Beautiful, beautiful, in her element,
The necklace he gave her last Valentine’s
Dripping down to kiss her collar bone

His eyes skitter restlessly
His thoughts chase each other endlessly

And she smiles at him
Unaware of the mighty tumult in his heart

His black, twisted heart and
Sickeningly warped mind

She smiles at him
Imagining the beatific glow in her heart
She shares with him is not tainted in his

His gaze rakes over the pale fabric,
Desperate to search the smooth unblemished expanse of her arm.
Wonders if the skin there is a cracked mosaic of scars.
Hates himself for worrying.

She reassures him she’s fine
Doesn't realize or understand the gray slimy thoughts that ooze over his conscious

Hates himself for worrying her.

Staring at the tiny black letters
On her email and
Her thoughts sh-sh-shatter like
G–L–A–S–S
Because she loves him
Because he runs through her veins like morphine
Sending her into cardiac arrest with a well-timed smile
And softening the world with his comforting words

Broken himself with invisible craquelure,
He wonders fearfully if it’s worse she be the same, or pure.

The false note to his laugh
The torn and fraying edges of that smile she so loved
The constant back and forth of witty, charming arrogance
And dry, heart-wrenchingly harsh self-deprecation
That makes her sick when he laughs

He decides

She runs over daily conversations,
Searching for any slight insight into his mood
And tries not to cry as his two brands of humor slowly blend together
She waits for contact.
She waits.
She places aside the necklace
And sh-sh-she shatters.