Obedience

Red-stained lips—yours—bit first, slicing the fruit

in two. What was firm, unbruised, at first touch

now broken skin yielding under your tooth. 

Then you placed the opened fruit on my tongue. A

cherry seed and painted lips, the stain of surrender

running blood-bright down my chin, until I was

bursting with want—I drank 

enough to taste cyanide’s mute toxin. 

I swallowed the cherry pits, sweet 

prayers for young Icarus chasing the sun,

falling, wax-drowned and blistered by sun-heat.

All any boy wants is to be loved— 

so he jumped from the Labyrinth window

because Daedalus asked him to follow.