Thanatos

bribe money to keep you alive
I give it out of love
morphine-drip comfort
 
when you muster the will
to cut your hair and donate
your dad’s vinyl records
 
I know you plan to leave
your breath and pulse behind
 
and me—byproduct of the past year
a sunk cost you’ve written off
but I’m stuck in the bargaining stage
 
I touch your face
(my hands are cold I’m sorry)
and say honey please stay
another week okay
just one more day

Author

M. Stone is a bookworm, birdwatcher, and stargazer who writes poetry and fiction while living in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in San Pedro River Review, Star 82 Review, UCity Review, and numerous other journals. She can be reached at writermstone.wordpress.com.