the moonlight makes her naked shoulder blades
look more like angel wings
her hipbones become hollows where fairies rest
in the right kind of dark,
she teaches me the secrets of her bones
the first step toward flying is always the fall
I take the risk of crashing into the rough land
so that I may kiss the clouds
I brush my fingertips across skin that once seemed unreachable
I shed my red agonies for her clear songs
she shows me how to recognize the beauty I carry in my blood
stroke by stroke