14 points of lead

There you are.
On the page of star crossed lovers.
Times New Roman, 11 point type.
Used to be I’d fill up with you,
you seeping from pores
you slithering through memory.
Used to be that was love,
being so full of you
I couldn’t breathe,
being so full of want
my heart would stop or race
or both at the same time.
Now I see you there,
between the lines,
14 points of lead
that won’t crush me down

ever again

I’d rip off pages of skin
before that turn of leaf.

Poem ©2016, Jen Payne. Image: Bouquet of Dahlias and White Book, Henri Matisse