You became my obsession
a fever moving beneath my skin
a slow-burning hunger
surviving separation and silence
you were that kind of haunting
my fetish for you was never simple
when you touched me
the ordinary rules of existence
collapsed into heat and instinct
you always kissed me
as if trying to drown beautifully
and I, willingly followed you
beneath the surface
where my body became your cathedral
but the flames eventually consumed us both
although separation carved its scars
there is still an involuntary ache
that arrives without warning
like a match re-igniting itself
and I cannot pretend
that I regret the burning
©Ann Bagnall
Annie's Poetry 