SIX - the things you do for me

my apartment is small and dusty
but you are filling it with color
and light
"see how fast i've unpacked for you?"
you smile proudly
reds and pinks and oranges
dozens of pretty hanging mobiles
twinkles and chimes
so many in this tiny space
i bump into them as i walk
we'll move some toward the edges
clear a path
maybe
but for now
you press me up against the wall
and kiss me
not the fleeting teasing kind
to keep me waiting
a real kiss
sweet and deep
full of color and light

on the other side of my front door
is a bar full of rusty cowboys
singing folksongs

now i am on a hill
a man is strangling me with a rope
i breathe so shallow to make him think
but an hour passes before he believes
i am dead
waking up
takes fifteen minutes
before i catch my breath