Diamond Inside

I suffer
intense pressure
inside my chest,
where hard
feelings collect
in my cauldron
heart.

Relentless,
stubborn pestles,
they butt
heads,
compress.

They fuse
into one
another
until I collapse
into myself.

Until something
precious
is born—I am
still stone, but now
I also shine.
 
 

How to Fall Out of Love

Lie face down
on your bed.
Cheeks to sheet,
sprawl and be
warm under cover.

Be still.
Ignore your breathing.
Submit to numbness
and lose
your body
in the mattress.

Forget your skin.
Forget sensation.
Just crystallize.

Let your flesh
fuse fibrous
with cotton linen
and acrylic mesh.

The pain will drain
through you
and settle below
in cushiony depths,
like urine.
 
 
 
Hawa Allan is a writer whose work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Salon, and Transition, among other places. She is also Essays Editor at The Offing. Her website is www.hawaallan.com.