you were

 
 
excruciating beauty  
 
the poison apple
dropping out of
my hand
 
the flavor of rattle  
snakes on my  
lips
 
the eye of the storm
that blinded  
me
 
the screams of butterflies  
as their wings are torn
off  
 
dancing with two broken
legs on thin
ice
 
a miracle of the
dammed  
 
and I...
 
I lied to
myself
 
           (Pagliacci faced and
             bleeding scorn for
             this world
            
believing such a
miracle  
 
was better than
no miracle at
all