the betrayal of soul
it comes with being human
dying in a loop
“deficiency” echoes
if you listen too close
you lose

we are spread thin enough
to survive
it is only the bleeding inside
that gathers you up
for some sacrifice
that you burn
to your false gods of fear

but some nights I set myself free
mixing the blood of all my lives
with cool night air
and the music of my soul
I dance into myself
as this becomes nothing
how I love wind....

“You’ve got more past than future,”
she said without a smile

“The hours lost will not rewind,
your pendulum beguiled

“You’ve got more past than future,”
the hag said one last time

“Your legacy a broken spring
—whose clock no longer chimes”


(Valley Forge Memorial Bell Tower: March, 2021)