Burn

Her suicide plan didn’t go through again
Her eyes met mine in the kitchen

Her smile warming the room and the food
Her hand covered in ink spider webs
she drew in Emergency

She is scared here too
She doesn’t know anyone
and she can’t eat anything
with charcoal left in her stomach —
if I lit her on fire
she would burn all night


Originally Published:
CV2 Volume 30 Issue 3
(Winter 2008)