we are reduced
to the wounds
that we inflict
and run
without first
licking them clean
or calming each other
to the point
we’re not rabid
and teeth bearing

when we do come back
it is for the heat
we produce when together
realizing
it’s not the heat
but the impact
that hurts
and
makes us cry out
from open wounds
and the impact
until we are calm enough
to lick out cuts clean