altar

hands are on me like I’m sacred
and the idol he finds faith in
on his knees until he breaks it
leaves the temple desecrated
like a secret he created,
the cathedral that he prays in
spread apart like holy pages
kept in reliquary cages

but you commit to scripture
like I'm rituals you whisper
threading gold through every fissure
mended whole until I glitter
and you watch with eyes that blister
like you've canonized a sinner
like your touch is tracing cinders
like your tongue might pray to live there

and I'm back against the altar
like a sacrament you offer
on your lips like stolen proverbs
on your skin like holy water

i, ii