What We Give to Each Other

In the cell, I tear myself into two

And hand you the other half. You watch me

Reaching for you, lungs collapsing inward, 

Intestines unravelling, blood kissing

The linoleum. On these desperate days,

People parcel themselves into pieces,

Rip out ribs, furl fingers, bundle their bones

Splinter and hemorrhage in their search of

A better half, someone to make them whole

When I say I love you, I mean I would 

Give you everything I have. When I say

I love you, I mean that I would die breaking 

Free of this body, clawing at the skin, 

If it meant I could confess everything

I am. What is left of us in this love?

All we have is what we take from each other. 

–Fabienne de Cartier, 2024