Inseparable

the word snakes 'round my tongue.
a strict confection. a bruised band
just below my shoulders. in my arms

the nothing i hold now tightens itself
to my chest. the labyrinth of how to
get back to you disintegrates. i'm a

taurus with a stiff neck. can't look up
at the stars. can't waste in silence. since
splitting me open you went back to

the way it was. never asked how i was.
was it different, for you? could you tell
who i was? could you spell it out, why-

oh-you? the piano pounds my lungs.
my fingers trace outlines of once-
perfected space. see, where i'm from,

we breathe through the aberration,
grew used to switching hot and cold.
i can't use your excuse. fidgety fingers

extract a pulse. like so much crime,
it's on the rise. i better quit. were you
hoping you had nothing to do with it?