The knife that cannot kill you

When your hands slip
Almost off that knife edge
And you see the red cut dripping
More slipping into the mix,
Readjust carefully.
Prepare to feel the bite of the blade
Again.

Then grit your teeth
And tighten those hands
Around the sweet pain of the wee hours.
Pull it like a lever, toward you,
And plunge it into your chest,
Hilt-deep, seeking the heart,
Until it cannot possibly
Go any deeper.

Hang on to that burning slice
That reminds you of life,
Because you can still feel
Some
Thing.

Grip harder.
Hold on.
You won’t die from this
No matter how your contrary wishes
Make the metal sound-tracks
So deafeningly loud.

Make that the music
Of blood that replenishes
And bones that don’t break.

Make the blade slice
The dark to let in
The dawn you didn’t
Believe you wanted to see.
The hurt won’t go deeper
Than your will to live.

The knife that cannot kill you
Gives you light.