i.
i was not a child
when you stripped me bare
pulled out an organ and
stuck it in your mouth

when you taunted me to
open, o p e n the window
before you climbed in and
i let you taste my eyelashes
was i a child then?

ii.
you made me hysterical once
fingers almost killing
thought as you sank teeth into
heart, maybe we should do
healthier things like love,
or make love

iii.
after you rolled over
said only needed somebody’s skeleton
i grabbed my skin and walked home

iv.
i left
something
behind

v.
the next morning
my heart came in a white box, wrapped
in the sheet we had dirtied
teeth marks etched into hide

vi.
i can’t (won’t)
abandon my childish gait
was i not your favourite
sufferer

Profile: Sage Lee