This Piece Is Not For You.
so don’t you dare put your eyes
on it.
you’ve laid your hands
ey es
lips and teeth
here
and here
and there and
i still feel your breath here.
but this,
this belongs to me.
a Relinquishment,
a Taking Back,
a Taking Space.
I am a historian
detailing our past;
opening dusty, taped up boxes
and placing objects
put away, hide those there
categorized “eh” and “hmm”
and “this’ll go away”
they are here now, spread around my home,
and I, their historian
archivist, caretaker:
I take care to place
them in their spot in
history and I write
their stories.
I write
this piece is not for you;
its for the people who held my hand
when it was cruelly ripped
who wrapped my wound
where it was wretchedly left
who love and care
when my person never could.
So I repeat,