made to please

he tells her that her body 

is too heavy to hold and her hunger insatiable. her craving reminds him of a starved animal

perhaps his past loving was lighter; 

to love her is to love a whole world. he is unaccustomed to this darkness

his tongue can taste miracles inside her deep collarbone 

but he can never grasp her fully. 

she disappears, often. 

they didn’t tell him that to love a woman fully 

is to worship her hips like a holy mountain;

is to know that she is a sea

irrepressible, free. 

he tells her that she is too loud, and maybe 

he tells her, a real woman would eat a little less, and sleep a little 

and love me and give.

they didn’t tell him 

that she carries loss in her belly and betrayal is knotted in her hair.

her shoulders are burdened with giving and loving just a bit too much. she knows the game well. 

and they didn’t tell him that she knows death intimately 

that she is not frightened; 

yet he tells her stop dreaming the world is a harsh cruel place and you’re a dreamer, and come out of your dark room and come and feed me and give me and love me and he tells her to give more and be more and love harder and walk slower and eat less and be smaller so he can hold her easily in place so she never ever ever leaves. 

he only wants her to give nourishment to his hollow body 

he only sees in her wide space to fill up the aloneness, the space that was left in him by another 

but they didn’t tell him

she is no longer a hero; 

she will only save 

the only life worth saving 

her own.