Empty

I punch through walls and throw up in your car

I date your lover and you’re glad I did

my life enhances yours

you wish I was always there

you wish I was always there

occupying empty space

space which eats at you until your intestines are gone

a tapeworm that never leaves

I am the power that the tapeworms envy

wish they could eat your intestines the way I fill you up

wish they could leave you feeling destroyed and empty

the way I leave you feeling strong

the way I leave you feeling your babies are safe

your life is safe

the world is yours

nobody can take it I have given it to you and my hands are clean and dirty

just like yours

I wash my hands in Nubian rich soap

in lovers’ water

in rose water

in puddles left over nights

in cigarette smoke

I wash my hands in your babies’ bathwater

thank you

thank you god for letting me in

thank you for housing me

thank you for the gift of words

I say thank you because I am blessed

I follow your path and the tapeworms disintegrate into dust

into nothing but dust

which when I touch it

turns to gold.