naked and afraid

— a poem by chase klavon

merely medicated and meandering 

arms guarded by chains 

by sticky substances sucking life from her pores 

like a bee sting 

like a bee sting or a car crash or pots and pans

she had cold feet but not the “i don’t want to marry you” kind

the “i am afraid to look in the mirror because my medicine is making me forget that i am real” kind

her tongue sprouted pill-sized pockets to hide pieces of herself in

fists bloodied fists stuck shut 

eyelashes layering on her collarbones like a wool sweater

draping the way a gold necklace would

precariously with a dash of elegance

lips bloodied lips stuck shut

cracking evenly 

letting loose pillowed moans 

molesting her teeth

slithering over her tongue

weighted ankles wobbling with the rhythms from above

the tv screens sounding reruns of how i met your mother in the stark brilliance of night

“Bad Idea” taken by amy kleiner