I put my mouth on your mouth I put my night on your night I put my mouth on your night your eyes are a different color from this angle when I kiss you I think about eyelashes & guns I think of limbs left behind I held your hand & that was a damn accomplishment you drew a map of the flower store & in the sunflower section you drew a smile & I felt like I had never seen one
♦
I put my mouth on your night when you lay your hand on my waist I see myself as a doll in an unopened box shiny tall & just the right size to hold the honey you put in my coffee makes me think I’m a bumblebee getting ready for my errands of juniper bushes & sunflowers If I ever saw a squirrel approaching my daily daffodil you would be my last thought before I stung his paw & surrendered what small body I had I want my mouth to always be on you to be sucking lightly on your skin to be sucking the love right out of you
♦
The stars come out just before you close your eyes the constellations on your back change every night I connect them with loose string from our worn blankets and I count the collection on your shoulder the seven the seven stars the seven sisters the seven safe from the earth the seven who make a piece of art when you look at them together what time of day do they cloak themselves in sunlight so that no one can see them bathing
♦
I put my mouth on your mouth I swallowed the night whole the season began with you roasting marshmallows over a dandelion fire I thought you looked like a witch and your hair drifting over your shoulder had this power over me something I couldn’t describe although to the average listener I suppose I would say love I ran over to you and your fire you used to be in the girl scouts you used to arrange logs in triangles to circulate the air best you caught me before I fell into the weeds burning they smelled a bit like milk you looked mad like you were about to cast a spell on me but then I kissed you and I think you understood everything
♦
I put my night on your night I put my mouth on your night I put my light on your thigh you held my body like it wasn’t going to break you drew circles on my chest on my night on my mouth you put your tongue on my thigh you put your fingers on my night you put your knees outside of mine you put your chest on my chest you put your rain on my rain you put your song in my ear you tapped tempo on my chest you sang into my night you held my night you held my back you held my knots and burning you put your magic on my arch you caught my night when it was about to clatter to the floor you held my hands you held them like they were what were keeping you alive you put your worries into my mouth and I swallowed them I was on my back but they went down I put my lips on your eyes I put your eyes in my mouth I put my hands in your mouth I put my head in your mouth I put my hips in your hips I put them in your night in your constellations in your clouds I put what small body I had beside your rain I mean your body I lay beside your night I mean your body I held your body I mean your magic I kissed you hard and soft I gave you kisses made of night and you will hear them even without the lights on
Violet Mitchell
Violet Mitchell is a Denver-based writer and artist. She earned a B.A. S. in cognitive literary studies and is completing an MFA degree in creative writing poetry, both from Regis University. Her work has been published in Heavy Feather Review, The Blue Route, Sixfold, Word for Word, ANGLES, Furrow Magazine, and several other journals. She received the Robert A. O’Sullivan, S.J. Memorial Award for Excellence in Writing in 2019.
Artwork: Rob Woodcox
Website: http://robwoodcox.com/
Gingerbread House Lit Mag 