i am never more beautiful than i am
in the heat of the moment when
your heat is glowing from my cheeks.
i am never more mobile than i am when
your body leaves, your mouth wanders,
the lights in the kitchen go dim.
i am never more trenchant than
when everything between us
is abrupt and furious and sharp.
i am never more soft than i can be
when your pressure runs down
my spine in an act of submission.
i am never more intense than
when i learn to be by myself again,
the long wait after the long love.
i am never less sure of myself
than when you peel my skin back,
demand the heartbeat as payment.