~| i ' m . a l i v e |~



I
just to let you know
i'm fine over here...
because that look in your eye
says you don't believe me.


II
Still I wonder
what this would be like
if not for the changes
forced on me,
like galleries of mended intent...


III
twisted
these directions aren't mine
but my subtle claim
to them
is what's keeping me together...


IV
I can misjudge
a thousand times
and even if I never learn,
I can say the least
is that my bloody nose
tastes like violets
compared to yours...


© 1996, h e a t h . h o u s t o n