a hardened heart pressures spiritual detritus
ashes make charcoal I cling to for comfort
flammable riches,
my pride a stockpile of darkness
enlightened and lit from a spark up above

deign to enter my soul with footsteps made ******
palpitations afraid of the weight of Your presence
I tremble and wince at transgressions made malleable
what I thought were good bones,
brittle calcified sins

buckle and give to cleansing by fire,
almsgiving of flames burn me straight to my core
an allowance of dwelling I can never repay
save my corporeal mortgage from defaulting to form

fog of spiritual warfare,
nous blinded by soot
biding time, I pray for mutual abiding
gasping for breath and grasping for life,
I flee from the perishing smolders of self

I'd like some sugar in my tea:
souvenir of sweetness,
saccharine delight

remind me of simpler, cloying times
nostalgia bittersweet,
a peachy respite

ubiquitous stanzas,
grounded community
found in the perforations we leave

lips parted,
professing shared sorrows still joyous
threaded within tapestries we weave

in trying times
energy expended
attempting temptations on the back of the shelf

cobwebs and mothballs
make light work of feasting
my apprehensive appendages
afraid they'll bite back

the gift of presence,
an appetizer to share
cheeks chubby with words unspoken

a fresh clause seeks independence;
ellipses follow and question
an epiphany of aloneness

a pensive suspension aloft in mid air
wings ****** in for brevity
short on breath,
scared of heights

a compass spins wildly
in the face of misdirection
riddled by parachutes
free falling in flight

compose my composition
for a golden ratio shimmers anew

a whirlwind woman whipped by wisps
transfigured out of a precious spiral
reframed to behold a glorious ascent