lixiviate
this water is penetrating my skin
i watch as my flesh
bloats & distends
as the roses
on my shoulder stretch
& thorns dull
this water is penetrating my skin
the handle won’t go
up any hotter
i want to feel it
burn watch it melt
my epidermis
through the meat
to the bone
this water is penetrating my skin
to wash away
your fingerprint
caresses their imprint
on my back where
you held me against
you tight
tighter
we breathed
synchronicity
this water is not penetrating my skin
rinsing away how your voice
sounds when we’re at the bar &
you lean in
lower your voice
whisper into my ear this is how
my NPR voice sounds
& talk radio has never
made my body erupt
in need the way your breath
does on my skin it’s ions
can’t cleanse me
of the sins i lie awake
at night & imagine violating
your holy ground choking
on sacrament & saliva
a confessional of kisses
& fingertips caressing
my skin this water is not
penetrating my skin the way i ache
for you to be
come a part of me to be
a shoreline & you
a wave wash over
me wash me
away
this water is not my sin
– let me take you back to how it all began
Michaela Titus 