Trust Your Anaesthetic

I'm not lying, darling,

I'm omitting the truth.

Because, sweetheart

There are things you don't need to know-

Not because they are unimportant,

But because they will hurt you.

The pain would be irrelevant

And it would change nothing between us.

It would just hurt you.

Because darling,

The truth is an element

Like weather.

You can ignore it

But oblivion doesn't obliterate it.

Because of this individual fact, honey,

You need this space between you and the gore,

You need a vacuum of numbness.

I have to deny you the sensation of the incision,

The visceral show.

Honey, you have to trust me.

You have to have faith in me

That in my absence,

I still love you.

Reviews

[Susanna F]

Fascinating poem! The tone is so certain and hushed, the wealth of possible meanings vivid. I love it.