I took a nap in the woods,
letting blankets of leaves
drown sinking stones
in my stomach.

I almost caught
a gust of wind:
spilling through cracked fingers,
simply sticking to my hair.
Palms open - arms outstretched
I shook hands
with nothing,
its weight crushing
me.

Tripping over pinecones
with blue stained eyes,
air suffocating between
shoe and concrete.

Bird skips up a tree trunk
singing to the sky,
catching wind under
its wings.
Palms open - arms outstretched
carried by nothing.

Every single night
like clockwork...
staring at eyelids
sealed shut.
Crypts for restless crickets
praying from 2 am to 6.



Air thick
suffocating between
sheets and mattress,
stones sinking.
Palms open - arms outstretched
begging for nothing
in particular.

Just sleep.

So I took a nap
in the woods today
Palms open - arms outstretched
suffocated by nothing,
hugging air
like the stuffed animal
I grew up with,
painted with prideful grime.