Cannibal

in this crazy swerving world of flesh
i have your bones in my jaws like a caveman
ripping and tearing
tendons and sinew
muscle and fat
skin and blood
all in my vessel mouth

hand over hand i climb down your spine
crawl into your open spaces
reach junctions and pauses inside you
hidden rooms and closed doors
the bed turns itself over and over again
breathing our steam and our fire

this is cannibalistic, this feeding time
i sink into the ritual and bow beneath it
bite marks and crevices
cracks in my teeth
fingernails and hair as smooth as silk
digestible fragments of you

i try to find your voice inside your throat
and the echo of my chaos slides through
empty holes
vocal chords slip through my fingers
your heart with its iron cage
i sit in the dust of your bones and hold only
the things i know
are indigestible.

-Gena Schwam 2003