Doll
a soft kiss on the bare shoulder where
you found something new you thought
wasn’t there before
i felt it like a feather landing on dust
in the dark where it was
the only patch of skin
exposed beneath the blankets
i thought it was a dream i didn’t know
you were capable of such tenderness
i had to ask you twice if it was real
the first time
you made me think
i was a doll whining
un-sanctimonious
ignoring my question
i cried
when life becomes
the only obsession
i turn into a pile of twine i have to push
myself down the flight of stairs to unwind
it is a careful but necessary violence
to forget you
Shelby Hartness is a writer & poet based in Half Moon Bay, California.