The Open Skin.... Poem by RIC BASTASA

i tell myself
day after day that i am
a strong person,
sort of hypnotic chant

i promise myself
you are nothing and i
can forget you
the next day and the
next day

when i am silent you
become so loud
when i walk away you
become so near
me,

this is what is it,
crazy crazy, but i never name
it love,
i never name it you,


there is nothing here
just an empty mouthful of
air,
and i close my mouth again
to regain
breathing later and later

i gasp, i want to grasp some
more how is it to be broken
and how to mend,

stitching here and there
wanting to cover a wound with
my own saliva,

like a snake bitten by
another snake
seeking for bitter barks
to heal
its open skin.