Nihilism – The philosophical belief that the world, and human experience in particular, is without meaning, purpose, truth, or value.

This is for the times we flew too close to the sun,

and for the flood of wax cascaded from stunted wings.

For the cement structures the drops of sweat form on the nape of your neck,

and the pinched skin on the curve of your shoulders where your blouse bites you.

This is for the days we ran along a concrete current,

and for all my childhood friends I’ve yet to admit that I’m in love with

For red-eyed slurs and money clips, fountain pens, and unlit cigarettes:

all the trappings of our departure from blue-blooded youth to your cash machine reality

This is for tragedy laced with comedy; prescription antidepressants and cocktails of charcoal.

For thwarted self-slaughter and the sharpened teeth of God,

This is for you and for me.

For shaking hands under tables hidden from the vacant gaze of your parents

that I will always be a foreigner to.

This is for my lies and deeper wishes,

and the quaint spaces in between.

This is for how much I’d long to die,

if I knew I could come back new.