i am tired of flesh

            warm to the touch

            four pounds of pressure to pierce

the lines of mine and others blur in the heat of friction

but it is an empty heat

            scientific

            calculable

            an equal and opposite reaction.

i have pressed myself against the lips of strangers

            an addiction to mouths and tongues

            leave the soul out of it

            locked behind marrow and bone

but forgotten what it is to kiss,

to slowly acknowledge

            a man

            a woman

            a friend

to know what life tastes like in another’s breath.

i have lost this, this much wasted intimacy.

i have plagiarized it

stolen it from memories and copied best i could

pretending it was enough

            it wasn’t then

            it isn’t now

            i’m left with hollow duplicates

and i wonder why i’m empty here tonight.

i fear my nerves don’t work anymore.