By: Linda M. Crate

your eyes are the cruel
garters of the sea,
eroding away
all sense of ego or self
you see past me
through me as if i am the
invisible woman —
you stare past my words,
reading between the
lines of every frown and tear
knowing exactly how
un-confident i truly am; you
hold me tenderly in your arms,
but your eyes forever
judge me as if you are a demigod
and i am beneath even the
deserving of your love —
you are winter chilling my independence
into the fragility of submission,
molding me into your numb nymph
so that i will not run as
once a sister of mine ran from apollo;
you know my pressure points
how to make my heart skip a beat,
to force my knees weakness
so that you can engulf me in your desire —
when you’re done you fly away
your winged shoes carrying you faster
than your father’s dreams; just as
mischievous and villainous as he you were
when you stole away my heart,
you won’t give it back
even if you’re killing me with your silence
you call it love, but it’s simply
winter drying me out.