Fallout (Crank 3)

Breathe.

He is in me when he promises again,

And I love you.

Did it hurt?

Can I keep going?

He waits

for my answer.

“Not too much.

And yes.”

He starts to move.

Slowly at first.

Rhythmically.

I follow his lead and together

we move faster.

Into the tornado.

Rocked by an

apple-scented

maelstrom,

skin to skin

with the person I love, every vestige

of doubt vanishes

in white-hot bolts

of lightning.

No pain now.

No sense

of wrong.

Everything is perfect.

WE LIE TOGETHER, SILENT

For a while, legs knotted,

his fingers twisted in my hair.