follow me into a daydream

I should’ve warned you
told you the clouds here
split open like wounds
spillin light that burns instead of warms
that the rain runs red
and tastes like rust
if you open your mouth too wide
told you there’s no ground here
that will catch you
only teeth waitin to break your fall
to devour you if you land just right

should’ve told you the wings you’d see
belong to the monster inside me
not me
not the poet
but the thing that rips itself loose
when I’m not lookin
the one that waits for the quiet moments
slips its claws between my ribs
and tears the seams just enough
to step thru

he loves the air
in a way I never could
b/c he doesn’t care
how hard it is to breathe
he soars in storms that blind me
feeds on the lightnin
carries the weight I pretend I can’t

when the monster is up there
the poet stays grounded
feet sunk in mud
watchin him tear the sky apart
and sometimes
I envy him
sometimes
I let him fly longer than I should
just so I can watch the sky bleed

you thought you’d see the sun
I should’ve told you
the sky here spits out the light
the wind here peels the skin
away from your bones
every gust whispers your name
like it’s tryin to warn you
but never loud enough
for you to hear
til it’s too late

I should’ve told you
but instead
I let you step in
let you taste the storm
before you knew its rage
and now your pulse hangs from its teeth
your breath caught in its claws

I should’ve warned you
but if I’m honest…
I wanted to see how far you’d fall
before you realized
I was never tryin to save you
I was danglin you there on purpose
waitin for the moment
you stopped fightin the drop
b/c even the poet in me
is barely a man