one word: mold
by t. zoEy benally

mold grows inside me
on spaces that should
be coated with red latex
love, black fuzz shoots
spores, seeds more rot

i wonder why i stay?
only to wish & cry for
something that has long
since collapsed, absorbed
by jungle, eroded rio banks

to die, decay, amputate
another small heart chunk
zombie fingers claw air
allegiance memories fade
and i need kisses no more