i feel so held in the cradle of the canyon
the dips in the earth
the way she swells and wants my eyes to know it
the way she bathes my breath
in tiny ice crystals
as i stare
frosty-eyed, at her
dusted in snow

it all is a caress -
soft as sheets
floating, fluttering, onto skin
as lover makes the bed around you

her voice softens
to a whisper of pine needles in wind
as cold dampens, assuages, sound
every cell is called to calm
drawn to a hush
i think i can close my eyes and rest here
i think i can open my ribcage to more breath

sweet and crisp inspiration
hushed sip
i think i can soften into the blankets laid out for me under these trees
a sensational winter picnic
a cordial invitation
from earth and saraswati

Click, click
Scroll, scroll
Light shine in my face
Clock is ticking
As I lie awake

What time is it now?
Doesn’t even matter
The birds will chirp soon
I’ll hear all the clatter

My family waking,
Breakfast will cook
“You’re up early!”
But sleep I never took

Click, click
Scroll, scroll
Tap, tap
Roll, roll

Side to side
I rocked all night
A comfortable spot?
No, not quite.

Time to get up, another restless night.

Guttural depths enclose me.
The vast expanse, like a tomb.
I am surrounded on every side by dark waters.
The endlessness is suffocating.
The immensity, my prison.
The deep, my grave.

You are the sea.
You are cruel.
You are cold.
And I love you.

The taste of pennies
in her mouth
As she continues
to bite

Her lips
Her cheeks
and her
Tongue

Holding back
So others
can
Breathe

All the while
she
Bleeds