Your breath sought after your skin itself a reference and bibliography my nose surpassing utilitarian my toes become mirror whisper and shout forbidden words in equal measure ambulatory blood bag and dairy instilling things those people know as values I don’t quite believe in mourn sleep like a lost lover steeped in sorrow unrequited affair so profound our acquaintance become fleeting when I was not looking they did not tell me I would curse another womxn send her ashes spiraling into water so as to rid myself of her false claim grasping afraid of her own gestative potential parasitic no one mentioned I would be rent asunder by the love of another womxn’s children by the longing to cradle them in the cadence of my own insecurities cloven by their rejection once again never enough she neglected to mention there is no love like this love and you will rip asunder continents lives in a global apocalypse of protection she did not say there was no other like her for me despite years of searching and indiscriminate adoption ruthlessly bestowed monikers whenever a kind hand fell she watched in less than silence one child was all she said