When You Break It All Down

John Jessup Kennan 1953 (Pomona)



Blood and lipstick
Are the only colors
I can see in your dark sterile world
Of black and white
They tend to wear off
As the date wears on
So you make sure to apply
A fresh coat every night

We nibble at each other's hearts
Encounter gristle
Or chip a tooth
These teeth are all cracked and broken
From cutting my fangs
In the days of youth

When you break it all down
This is what it looks like
Splice it all together
And mix the reels
Anyway you slice it
We all bleed the same
When you tear it all apart
This is how it feels

It's red wine with blood red meat
Drink hearty from the cup
To a heart's delight
Your hunger leaves me anemic
Your thirst completely drains me
A pale ghostly white

Wise as serpents, harmless as doves
Is who we should grow to be
I heard Messiah say
With each kiss I hear
A hiss my dear
I think it's time to fly away

When you break it all down
This is what it looks like
Splice it all together
And mix the reels
Anyway you slice it
We all bleed the same
When you tear it all apart
This is how it feels

 © John Kennan August 2015
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Submitted by rankstranger7 on May 24, 2021

Modified on April 01, 2023

1:06 min read
5

Quick analysis:

Scheme axxbxxxb xxcxxc DEFGHIJG xxbakb xklxxl DEFGHIJG x
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 1,042
Words 216
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 8, 6, 8, 6, 6, 8, 1

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