A Collection of Short Prose

I had to hold my skeleton together
or else my jagged bones
would shatter like porcelain
and cut through the soft skin
that kept my frame contained.
-a.n.

In his lustful
eyes,
I saw my
body burn.
-a.n.

I don’t let people
close to the deepest parts
of me
because
I’m afraid
they’ll find how broken
I am
and even worse
they’ll find
I am
not worth the time
to fix.
-a.n.

I watched as a lazy droplet
roll down her face and over her
full rosy lips.
My focus was drawn to her mouth,
specifically,
that glistening tear
lingering on her upper lip.
I had a strong, unsettling desire
to kiss her,
to taste her tears,
to get an insight into her sadness
but,
before I could act on this
strange impulse,
she licked away the droplet.
Only she was allowed
to taste
the salty sadness,
the private grief
that had clung
to her
perfectly curved lips.
-a.n.