Subtlety consumes me this day,
the effect of warm coals slowly burning
a hole through me while I remain
unaware of their beautiful damage because of their
lack of violence
I am still exhaling smoke
in the form of nervous syllables
happy,
for once,
that I have not received a knife’s blow
in the back when I least expected it
but instead a gentle demise
slowly falling,
falling,
falling out of my mind
and for the first time
I give my full surrender,
give my heart
to rest upon the embers.