Elemental

There is something

about fighting fire with fire

Cauterizing the wound

A two-finger nail X on the bite

The way heat blurs

The reliving now worse than the living

But your motives pure

as salt

There are two heights

the height of the bridge and the height you feel

standing below it

Now we must discuss regret

The undertow

Sandpaper clothes

Descending to the bottom

Rip tide, the shiver of it

Or

Has this always been about

discipline

Spending half your life building a bridge

plank by plank

The next half patiently

watching it burn

There are two wants

the one you want

and the one you want to want

Something about sink or swim

Something about stop, drop, and roll

Maybe it was

Don’t hold your breath

Or