Tangerine-
skin lips,
blooming
like a shipwreck
in the storm,
they run
me aground.
Carmine
drink, savory
poison,
on the tongue
they leave
my eyes
bare,
stranded
and drenched
in the neon
boneyard
where ashes
rain,
ashes
rain.
_______________
Photo: Irving PENN, “Cigarette and lips” (New-York, before 1961)
