Before sunrise—
warm water, three dates,
handful of pecans,
cashew butter spread on toast,
peeled tangerine.
I wash the pith from my cuticles
to prevent myself from
sucking on that bittersweet aroma
& breaking before dusk.
A glance at the sky
confirms its dusted, periwinkle hue—
there’s still time to think of you.
Can I satiate that appetite?
Should I study, memorize your picture
before the sun stops me?
Its afterimage a cyanotype
burnt behind my eyelids.
Hunger wells in my tear ducts.
I am starved.
The wakening horizon
reminds me of your glistening teeth,
I imagine myself beneath—
Oh,
the day breaks for me.