i am the lonely captain of your silhouette
riding the tempest
until sleep takes me.
two paramours discover
love by the light
of the full moon can turn
Cimmerian
when they realize the
full moon’s just a smudge
on the window pane.
i am the disgruntled tender to your heartstrings
cleaning and washing
while others pull.
sometimes she just
wants to feel pain.
the sinister sin is hers—
so, wobbly as a new born colt,
our dark haired mistress
inflicts the conflict
and relishes in its salty taste.
i am the wolfish grin on your face
providing space
between dissonant lips.
the moonlight is sour and dim.
It tastes like the breath of
a hungover morning.
she opens her eyes and sees the crescent
pulling her apart in all directions
with its static eye.
I am the bookish pedant
spending the black morning hours
studying your heart.
Natalie Morales has a BA in English from UCLA. She grew up on the edge of Orange-less County with two sisters, two dogs, two cats, and two parents. She continues to pursue a career in teaching along with writing. Her short stories and poems have been published in Conceit Magazine, Mt. San Antonio College’s Left Coast Review and MoSaic, and Cornell University’s Rainy Day Literary Magazine.