Ā Ā hisĀ touchĀ isĀ lightĀ Ā :Ā Ā soĀ lightĀ thatĀ sheĀ thinksĀ sheĀ mightĀ haveĀ dreamtĀ it.Ā Ā butĀ herĀ gazeĀ travelsĀ downwardĀ toĀ seeĀ hisĀ hand,Ā Ā wrappedĀ looselyĀ aroundĀ herĀ wristĀ toĀ catchĀ herĀ fromĀ wanderingĀ further.Ā Ā Ā aĀ flushĀ creepsĀ gentlyĀ ontoĀ Ā herĀ cheeks,Ā Ā lipsĀ partingĀ asĀ ifĀ sheĀ wantsĀ toĀ sayĀ something.Ā Ā asĀ ifĀ hisĀ veryĀ touchĀ evokedĀ theĀ emotionsĀ sheādĀ beenĀ pushingĀ offĀ forĀ yearsĀ Ā :Ā Ā youĀ cannotĀ beĀ realĀ ifĀ noĀ oneĀ touchesĀ you.Ā Ā youĀ cannotĀ beĀ humanĀ withoutĀ theĀ warmthĀ ofĀ anotherĀ being,Ā Ā andĀ soĀ offĀ youĀ goĀ Ā -Ā Ā intoĀ theĀ skiesĀ toĀ Ā catchĀ cloudsĀ betweenĀ yourĀ teethĀ toĀ devourĀ sunlightĀ asĀ aĀ lastĀ breath.Ā Ā Ā Ā heĀ doesĀ notĀ wantĀ toĀ trapĀ her,Ā Ā andĀ yetĀ Ā sheĀ sinksĀ intoĀ hisĀ touchĀ asĀ if itĀ isĀ theĀ firstĀ mattressĀ thatĀ hasĀ everĀ touchedĀ herĀ bodyĀ :Ā Ā envelopingĀ herĀ inĀ aĀ warmthĀ sheĀ forgotĀ existed.Ā Ā itĀ isĀ easyĀ whenĀ youĀ areĀ aloneĀ forĀ soĀ longĀ toĀ forgetĀ theĀ heartbeatsĀ thatĀ pulseĀ beneathĀ flesh,Ā Ā toĀ thinkĀ ofĀ otherĀ humansĀ asĀ autonomousĀ beingsĀ thatĀ runĀ onĀ stagnance.Ā Ā butĀ theyĀ gulpĀ downĀ wonderĀ inĀ theĀ sameĀ wayĀ sheĀ licksĀ aweĀ fromĀ theĀ cornersĀ ofĀ herĀ lips.Ā Ā they,Ā too,Ā Ā haveĀ seenĀ Ā starsĀ goĀ outĀ :Ā Ā Ā THEYĀ SIMPLYĀ DIDĀ NOTĀ KNOWĀ IT.Ā Ā Ā Ā whileĀ someĀ blinkĀ wondrouslyĀ upĀ atĀ theĀ sky,Ā Ā abelĀ looksĀ toĀ aĀ graveyardĀ ofĀ lightsĀ :Ā Ā aĀ reminderĀ thatĀ weĀ doĀ notĀ lastĀ forever,Ā Ā andĀ toĀ drinkĀ downĀ everyĀ momentĀ beforeĀ itĀ evaporatesĀ intoĀ theĀ sameĀ raindropsĀ weĀ sinkĀ ourĀ bootsĀ intoĀ onĀ thoseĀ mistyĀ days.Ā Ā Ā
Ā Ā āĀ Ā Ā oh,Ā Ā yesĀ Ā -Ā Ā Ā ā¦Ā Ā iĀ donātĀ knowĀ ofĀ anyĀ takeoutĀ placesĀ thatĀ sellĀ it,Ā Ā butĀ iĀ makeĀ aĀ prettyĀ goodĀ banh Ā xeo.Ā Ā evenĀ myĀ momĀ likesĀ it!Ā Ā Ā ā¦Ā Ā andĀ thatāsĀ sayingĀ something,Ā you know.Ā Ā becauseĀ hersĀ isĀ theĀ best.Ā Ā āĀ Ā Ā voiceĀ travelsĀ off,Ā Ā flushĀ returningĀ toĀ herĀ cheeksĀ asĀ sheĀ realizes,Ā inĀ herĀ excitement,Ā Ā sheāsĀ gottenĀ aĀ fewĀ staresĀ fromĀ theĀ peopleĀ aroundĀ her.Ā Ā aĀ softĀ clearĀ ofĀ herĀ throat,Ā Ā asĀ sheĀ reachesĀ aĀ handĀ upĀ toĀ anxiouslyĀ brushĀ asideĀ strandsĀ ofĀ hair.Ā Ā Ā aĀ pause.Ā Ā Ā sheĀ listensĀ asĀ theĀ worldĀ aroundĀ herĀ spins,Ā Ā stitchingĀ togetherĀ aĀ momentĀ thatĀ abelĀ cannotĀ helpĀ butĀ yearnĀ forĀ Ā -Ā Ā albeit,Ā Ā itĀ hasnātĀ endedĀ yet.Ā Ā Ā [Ā Ā HAVEĀ YOUĀ EVERĀ WANTEDĀ AĀ MOMENTĀ THATĀ WASĀ STILLĀ HAPPENING?Ā Ā Ā ]Ā Ā Ā Ā herĀ gazeĀ travelsĀ toĀ theĀ painting,Ā Ā Ā draggingĀ awayĀ fromĀ theĀ manĀ inĀ frontĀ ofĀ herĀ asĀ ifĀ heĀ mightĀ disappearĀ ifĀ sheĀ lookedĀ away.Ā Ā asĀ ifĀ heĀ wasĀ justĀ aĀ ghostĀ inĀ aĀ bodyĀ inĀ aĀ shell,Ā Ā bangingĀ awayĀ atĀ theĀ glassĀ wallsĀ thatĀ sheĀ encapsulatesĀ himĀ in.Ā Ā Ā sheĀ letsĀ herĀ eyesĀ driftĀ overĀ theĀ paintingĀ inĀ frontĀ ofĀ her,Ā Ā handsĀ itchingĀ toĀ touchĀ theĀ driedĀ coloursĀ inĀ hopesĀ thatĀ she,Ā too,Ā couldĀ feelĀ whatĀ theĀ painterĀ felt.Ā Ā Ā Ā butĀ instead,Ā Ā sheĀ curlsĀ fistsĀ upĀ toĀ sootheĀ theĀ itchĀ thatĀ scratchesĀ atĀ herĀ soul.Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āĀ Ā itāsĀ beautiful.Ā Ā inĀ aĀ wayĀ thatĀ Ā ā¦Ā thatĀ hurts,Ā Ā aĀ little.Ā Ā iĀ supposeĀ allĀ artĀ feelsĀ thatĀ way,Ā though.Ā Ā Ā āĀ Ā herĀ voiceĀ hasĀ quieted,Ā Ā onlyĀ aĀ softĀ murmurĀ now.Ā Ā Ā āĀ Ā itĀ feelsĀ likeĀ Ā ā¦Ā Ā likeĀ howĀ sicknessĀ feels.Ā Ā warm,Ā Ā whenĀ youĀ haveĀ someoneĀ caringĀ forĀ you.Ā Ā cold,Ā Ā whenĀ youĀ donāt.Ā Ā Ā āĀ Ā
his fingers daisy - chain around her wrist.Ā Ā Ā there is a slight brush that spreads high and pink across her cheeks,Ā a lasting sunset captured in human fleshĀ Ā Ā [Ā Ā skin is the canvas that lasts,Ā Ā every scorching riot of scarred hips and burned hands meeting together in irreplaceableĀ guilt:Ā Ā Ā the body does not yield,Ā Ā it does not offer sacrifices,Ā Ā it does not let you beg for newnessĀ Ā ].Ā Ā there is a smear of pink against her skin that will live forever,Ā Ā a merciless stainĀ Ā ...Ā Ā he wants to lift his hand towards it.Ā Ā Ā icarus made the mistake of flying too close to the sun,Ā Ā a love that could only be quelled in death,Ā Ā but bruce doesnāt think heāll burn alive from just one touch.Ā Ā Ā BUT NO ONE EVER DID,Ā Ā DID THEY?Ā Ā Ā that was the gentle allure of the sunĀ Ā --Ā Ā touch me and see if you survive it.Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āĀ Ā Ā Ā well,Ā if thereās no takeout places that make it,Ā Ā itās all the more specialĀ Ā ...Ā Ā and it means that no one has anything to compare it to.Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āĀ Ā Ā Ā there is a small kitchen buried in the back of bruceās apartment,Ā Ā mostly unused.Ā Ā Ā Ā he has spent his breakfasts there,Ā Ā Ā cold cereal on cold monday mornings.Ā Ā Ā he has heated up noodles and leftovers,Ā Ā he had stitched himself up over the counter,Ā Ā he had collapsed sleeplessly over the small table.Ā Ā Ā Ā THERE WAS A QUIET SMILE OVER HIS LIPS.Ā Ā Ā cooking had been a childhood reward,Ā Ā stood around a stove with heat that licked against his palm,Ā Ā with his motherās voice thrumming through the house.Ā Ā Ā EVERYTHING HAD BEEN SO QUIET ONCE SHE LEFT.
to look at art through anotherās eyes was an intimate thing.Ā Ā Ā it was an exploration into their inner - world,Ā Ā the richness of the world thrown against a canvas and exploded as a map of their heartās desiresĀ Ā Ā [Ā Ā bruce slides a serrated blade against his own heart and feels it relent:Ā Ā Ā museumsĀ were as gentle as the cutting room floorĀ Ā ].Ā Ā Ā he watches abel watch the art,Ā Ā letting it sink into the gleam of her eyes,Ā Ā the plush wonder of her pout.Ā Ā Ā HE WATCHES HER WATCH ART,Ā Ā BECAUSE IT IS EASIER THAN CUTTING HIMSELF OPEN ON THE PAINT SWATCHES.Ā Ā Ā his art has always been a little more academically minded,Ā Ā found in chemicals and breakthroughs,Ā Ā rather than thrown across canvas with mindless care.Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā iāve never had a sickness that feels warm.Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā there is too much in the words.Ā Ā Ā another lifeĀ Ā ...Ā Ā i have never been cared for in my sickness.Ā Ā a polluted body,Ā a polluted mind.Ā Ā Ā bruce is the abandoned body that has long since learned that crying out for help reaps no greater reward than a sore throat.Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āĀ Ā Ā Ā have you ever thought about writing art reviews?Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā ā