Wraith that I am, I slink slowly
over the windowsill, the spillage of me
piling into your bed like detritus
washed up on the lakeshore. I am

unseen, unheard, a catchall of
others' thoughts and deeds: a harsh netting
that leaves a taut patterns on your skin.
Reject me. I am heartless.

I sink my teeth into your thigh:
what pleasure, what dense cacophony
in the red rending of your flesh.
You taste of sin and hunger

and the salt that smothers my bones.
Loose my tongue: pry me up
out of the jagged wounds and let me
feast instead in your honeyed heart.