subtle slivers
worked themselves under a fingernail
roving eye lingered, perhaps too long
but who is to say how long is too long?
invisible to the naked eye, to other naked eyes
forgotten except when you moved the right way, touched the wrong way
but always, the glow of intent was clear in your eyes
reflected on the nape of my neck as you lay your lips
shivers always followed, but not always of revulsion
the light was unlearning itself,
it was the infinite unfrocking of the prism
sparklers wanded their brilliancy like the whole box was burning
for almost nine years
each falls like a lash against the nakedness
and when they went out, everything i knew how to look for
had disappeared.
