when it finally collapsed

michael thomas swanberg

If you thought the world
Was ending then you spread
Your legs in a most beautiful way

Thin ankles and calves that he kissed
Maybe for the first time
If it hurt you didn’t scream

The afternoon peach light
Your mother in the kitchen
The world was ending

And you
You were watching a necklace
Dangle orbits around his throat
Listening to water in the pipes
Your mother humming

Or were those sirens ringing?
A dog is barking
Or is it you, a sound trapped in a throat
For a lifetime finally coming

Finally coming at a moment
Too soon, almost unwelcome
If you wanted to say please, or love
You didn’t And then before you can stop
Or even gasp to breathe
It is here