An Interlace of Bones

Take my flesh and shake it out

Put it in the washing machine

My heart is drying on the line

While my skin is spinning clean

Skeletons are hard to sleep with

Bones are all that we have left

Shin bones, pelvis, heavy femurs

The chuckle of your fingers leaves me bereft

I feel the cutting of your cheekbones

On the temple of my skull

The empty space of unlocked ribcage

Once our hearts had made so full

And in the morning we'll wake early

Leave the curtains closed again

Slowly wrap our muscles round our bones

We'll take our organs from the wash

Freshly laundered, clean as new

And carefully replace them in their hollows

Because this night will be our last

We felt the need to wash the marks

Of all the secrets shared together

From our bodies and our hearts

The teeth-bite bruise on lips and necks

The sharp caress on shivering limbs

If left too long after we're gone

Would fray the fabric of our skin

And in the morning we'll wake early

Dress our skeletons again

Trying not to catch each other's eye

We'll smooth out wrinkles, settle seams

Rewire our newly polished veins

Cause we've already said our last goodbyes

Over and again, over and again, over and again

I'm just a bag of bones now

Over and again, over and again, over and again

I don't want you to go now

Over and again, over and again, over and again

You say it's better this way

Over and again, over and again, over and again

I'm just a bag of bones now

Our memories of love are washed out, we're strangers now

(Our skeletons remember)

Lace and tie and zip our flesh back into place

(Even if our love is over)

Put on our clothes

(I don't want you to go now)

Open the door

(You say it's better this way)

Sharing secrets no more

(I don't want you to leave me)

I'd rather keep these memories instead of being clean and empty

When we're clean and finally spotless, I give you one last kiss

There's nothing, no response

From the clean, soft flesh that used to be your lips