behind the sun

follow me
to the land
where the sun always shines
and homes bleed into each other
stars of dust and lust
cityscapes of pain
and manicured skylines
that dance
to the rhythm of my fingertips
over your skin
calloused with yearnings
for a past that stalks you
for a past that keeps you
its prisoner of shame

come look
and you will find me
waiting
behind the sun
where hope and lust
are retired
into an afterlife
of what ifs
where broken souls
are left behind
by a revisionist history
of war and love
this city
that city
my city
burns
under the weight of your denial
and their inhumanity

catch me
so I can reach out
to this state
that state
not my state
borders apart
mine more rigid than yours
treasures to hide
black gold
red gold
sealed
from intruders like you
who outsource their love
to time and arrogance
no time for arrogance
with your name
tattooed on soft skin
grated, slowly, effortlessly
by years of tender carelessness
and silent abuse
into a happy home
that is always empty
with big dreams
and broken promises
of a safer tomorrow

put on your wings
and fly to me
for I will find you
under the filth
in the land of amnesia
architectural monsters
and sectarian massacres
I will find you
across another border
of lost innocence
and aborted childhoods
inside the choking waters
of the cursed land
I will find you
singing with the angels
in their children’s mass graves
before
you can even dream
of touching me
in the kingdom of love
shit and oil

so for now
erase the margins
from your coffee-stained sketchbook
of high hopes
and breathe me
away from long lines
and cavity searches
at immigration offices
and sterile airports
where my pain and I
become visible
to their naked eyes
and little minds
that do know better-
where my pain and I
are only visible
in their bulging crotches
that expose
a seamless history
of dirty smiles
so for now
breathe me
deep
from behind the sun
and don’t hold your breath
for a safer tomorrow