staring contest

i do not think it will be fair.
i have not blinked in years.
in fact i remember that last time
that i did. i was kissing a boy
& his hands turned into doves.
we tried to catch them but they got away.
he wept & i promised i loved him anyway.
my life has taught me that
if you shut your eyes
something will leave. my lungs 
decided to become a hawk. i feed them
field mice & apologize the whole time.
if you really want to though
we can sit here & turn each other
to stone. i will be whatever kind 
of statue you need. hell, i could even
be a fountain. spill milk from my mouth.
let's decide on a prize though. 
if i blink first you can have all my eyelashes
& maybe my candles too. 
if you blink first i get your tongue.
you do not think that is equal? alright instead
i will take your hunger. i have
lost my own & i need something 
to burn inside me when i am 
staring down the full-belly moon. 
you will learn to live without it. you will
fill your mouth with birds & eventually,
it will be something like hunger. 
after you lose, we can go walking.
i will show you the places where
i used to like to shut my eyes.
you can try them out & i will watch you.
do not feel sad for me. there is still joy
on the other side. sometimes we eat persimmons
& walk barefoot until the sky is orange again.
sometimes my eyes briefly turn
into beetles. journey in two completely different
directions. i do not ever try to follow them.
i know by the time i go to sleep
they will come home & we will be together
staring at the ceiling all night.