anthill

anthill

your words like

ants--

they swarm the screen, 

take heart, 

you got this, 

don't worry, please!

what a 

state-of-the-art 

comfort you are, 

so many  

squashed fireflies

blinking on and off, 

smudging 

my irises with 

fluorescent light.

even as your

text bubble 

blinks and fades, 

the little black letters

with their 

inquisitive antennae 

march

hup-two-three-four

into my pores. 

pitter-patter 

footsteps 

down 

my tongue, 

they steal 

cold crumbs

from between my 

teeth,  

wearing holes

into once-ivory bone.

where are you now?

they crawl for my 

eyes, 

wanting more space,

more heart that 

I don't have--

so many that 

I cannot speak--

imagining

the horror 

coloring

your gentle face

if I puncture 

their skin, 

soft as blackberries. 

what am I saying? 

I have forgotten. 

I wanted to tell you

something more

but they are here 

now, they--