Consider Me by Olivia Caldwell

consider cyanide.

watered-down arsenic, plump peaches lightly perfumed

almost-fatal poison

to be sipped slow through the tired hours of the day

consider a car crash.

and tell me,

is there anything more beautiful than the aftermath

of fatal collision?

shattered glass on pavement

glittering grotesque and luminous on the moon-lit motorway

metal on metal

and the sickening glow of streetlights

consider chamomile.

sweet honeyed-tea and ivory petals leaking milky sap

onto lavender pillows

just for you to

rest that dimpled cheek

consider a trapeze.

and a threadbare tightrope

swaying above a gaping void

and tell me I'm not the netting you’d want to fall into

consider me.

i keep track of my stagnation

by the phases of the moon

consider me.

i tie myself to myself

threads enclosing the lone rose unwilling to bloom

consider me.

i am nothing but a silver platter of

sweet fruit for you to consume

consider me.

Words by Olivia Caldwell

Image from Unsplash

Edited by Emily Gough

@FalWriting on Instagram