By Misti Velvet Rainwater
Date: 9 September 1998

front line

so it seems he was drunk
the night he called me up
saying he wanted to die
and I was the only one he
wanted to talk to and
he wished I was there
with him and he wanted
me to love him until he
was healed and all was
rosy again and I was up
there with God and the
angels and she was down
there with Satan and the
demons deeply despised but now
months between us and 
nothing from him but an
enigmatic card in the 
mail with no return
address I've surmised
   he's with her, again
   content in her hell
   she's serviced half his friends
   done the small town cheerleader
   bit to death
   but that's what he needs
   yes, that's what he wants
   the world revolves around
   that kind of love
      shameless and sordid
      begging and forgiving and taking back
      take no prisoners
      out and out depravity
      chosen captivity
    most people equate love
      with war
she's his war
I was his nurse
I made him strong
strong enough to limp back,
back to the front line.