i can write somebody
out of my mind,

i can smoke
somebody's thick scent
out of my bedroom,

laying back on the white pillows
and breathing your aftertaste
into my lungs.

i can change the air
from your lavender perfume
to my camels.

i can kick somebody
off of my curb,
telling you to go home,
i don't want to see you anymore.
i'm sorry, but
i really can't.

i can erase
somebody's ghost from my room

even if it means
i have to sleep
in the half-finished blue house
that they're building
across the street.

the wood is warm
and i hope i don't
catch it on fire.

your body was warm
but i didn't have to worry
as i smoked in bed,
you were all ash
and no flame.

i can write somebody
out of my mind

but their fingertips leave bruises
like purple petals on my skin.