Poem by Leah Bunner
Promise, Unraveled
Entreating words that should’ve been left on paper
said too many times over
until they’ve lost all structure
until their form is nothing more than stray letters
The consonants don’t feel so grating anymore once rough
around the edges now threadbare, worn by copies of
bodies it’s always the same sound but it emits the most
beautiful off of you
and so, it’s the vowels that hurt the syllables that are still
stuck like sour honey in the wedges of my brain
Beseeched with hands clenched so tightly
like a prayer- straight into my lungs you beg but I
already swore I’ll give you so much
I want to give you so much
but it’d be better for the both of us
to just under-pour instead
How many times can you ask me for something
that we both want but only I am able to impart
Entreating words that should’ve fallen out of a pencil
because pen bleeds permanent
a convoluted incoherence of ink
until their form is nothing more than blurred cliché
How many times will you ask me for something I
can give to you I want to give to you only you
but while you’re still willing to tie the telephone cord
around her throat too I’m going to keep it for myself
I’m going to hold it so tightly
as if it were me, myself
please don’t take me please don’t just take me