fragrance

you put me away
in a pretty vase
by the corner,
you tuck me
into the curls
of your flowing hair,
your eyes meet mine
in the blue distance,
as we wake up to a new world,
you step on me
in your self-forgetting ways,
with restless feet that cannot tarry,
you throw me down
at the altar
where two stones meet,

yes, there are many ways
to live this life,
and I must live mine
like a flower -
crushed, ignored,
flaunted, sacrificed,
that's my life,
as I cleave to the lines
on your palm
and the crevices
of your breath,
a fragrance
without form,
that can live
only when I die
a slow death
at the altar
of your heart,
and mine.