Honeycrisp

My boyfriend will eat

an entire apple in one sitting.

Peel, pulp, core. Hands me

the stem when he’s done.

Seeds in his gut. The calyx

a dank star. An orchard grows

inside him. The tongue

that slicks the skin. Hands

perfumed with bruised sugar.

His kisses a tender lament.

The heart that glows. How he takes

everything the fruit offers

and leaves nothing

but the stem. I let my body

follow. Set my jaw soft.

Rapt, greedy, this devotion.

Tough armor. Red glow. Yellow

flesh. Every bite a fall

from grace.