Feel the fire down your neck
Your heart beating like a drum
Flashes of red as they fade to gray
                -the ashes sift away.

Don’t ask for comfort, here you get none
They’ll watch as the flames work through your body
Thundering your pounding lungs
               -desperate to get away.

The heat grows high; where do you go from here?
Encased in flames; you have no chance
No chance to feel the love
               -no chance to get away.

It’s ending so soon, you let you all go
Your soul to be picked over; because you don’t really care
You’ve fallen to low, to see yourself now
               -pick your feet up; fly away

And now it’s all over, as they watch you; laid bare
A pretty red dress, stained with your blood
Your body so broken, so fragile; unmarred
               -locked up tight you can’t get away

They’ll take you away, ashamed of the sight
You think of the sight that kept you alive
As you make your escape; your heart beating like a drum
               -as you run in the dead of night, run away

*Your funeral was held; the empty coffin, buried
As you nurse your wounds in sweet success
Thinking of that face that made you find strength
               - yout pain is taken away

It was nice finally hearing your voice again

The anticipation like staring down the barrel of a gun

Only to hear it jam

It is nice to know you are not some big bang

So that I may finally lay my weapons down

This shield was so heavy from the weight of your motion

My legs grew tired from keeping me faced in your direction

They spelled dizzy

In dirt brown cursive

The grooves I wore into the pavement

The siren’s song singing so heavy

Working the cotton

Pulling it lose

You are not some siren song

Or a stampede when I put my ear to the ground

You are breath and bone

And break

as easily as I do

So let me learn to regret your whisper

Teaching my tongue

The taste of the secret Braille

On your teeth

Breaking my pattern like dancing

With all 4 of our left feet

The distance it takes your voice to travel

Thins out the shape of your longing

I know you

I know you

Like the nights where I thought I could hold you

But then realized my arms

Could never meet the circumference of your pedestal

Until you taught me to hammer

Dull chisel tip to your armor

I’ve finally lain my weapons down

After your voice misfired I love you

You can see my scars

Like a runway sash

From the top of my shoulder

Down to the opposite hip

They say

This Was Supposed to be Beautiful

And let me tell you again

That shield

It was so heavy

When I made you, I loved you.
Now I pity you.

I gave you all you needed:
bed of earth, blanket of blue air--

As I get further away from you
I see you more clearly.
Your souls should have been immense by now,
not what they are,
small talking things--

I gave you every gift,
blue of the spring morning,
time you didn't know how to use--
you wanted more, the one gift
reserved for another creation.

Whatever you hoped,
you will not find yourselves in the garden,
among the growing plants.
Your lives are not circular like theirs:

your lives are the bird's flight
which begins and ends in stillness--
which begins and ends, in form echoing
this arc from the white birch
to the apple tree.

You said you'd come to tea
so I made a cake
chocolate sweet; maraschino filled;
girdled with a satin blue ribbon;
set out the prettiest plates;
hand painted with forget-me-nots.
And from the darkest corner of a drawer
found a single candle to celebrate the day.
I'd understand if you had 'phoned,
but now the chocolate lends a bitter taste
and even the despairing posies have given up all hope
as the candle's flame flickers my ever waiting shadow.