A useless crush,

a high school crush,

a radio crush,

sometimes like cold sap,

sometimes like flames cracking windows,

left unattended swallows you,

becomes something sinister and useless.

You can't purge your mind

of a slicing urge,

you can't begin to train your eyes

to your own muddy footprints,

you can't recall a time unencumbered

by the weight of a glad storm,

by the crawling sting of devotion.

Or at least,

I can't.