She liked dancing close to the flame
 the fragrance of love
provocatively profound, highly inflammable

seconds insist slides of suppleness, loneliness
days he loved and existed for love
 grew blank, webbed, hooded;
nights eviscerated carcasses of saccharine precedent

minutes call – querying roses,
as when the runaway earth was beautiful; answers
pass in ravenous flood of bonded tears

days examine – moving murmurings,
love mercuric, dying 
submerged in bath tub of silence

he danced close to the flame,
 the furious flame snaked at them
sought desperately the treasured seconds..
 
do not dance close to the flame, darling
our cherished tattoos are melting, fading
and our precious perfume is turning sour