Something Old I Found

hello
like sun
on sun-burnt skin
unbearable and intrusive

with no hope for shade
hello
like salt water
on tiny papercuts
naive until
the sting sets in

taking bittersweet revenge
hello
like sand
on bleached teeth
frenzied and grating
carving trenches

of marked pain
hello
like goodbye
when the word
drips and falls
like rain
when its still
yellow outside...EAC