my body
was buried beneath sand
grain by grain
i carried the weight of the earth

i heard the ocean
sigh,
my tongue became the desert
too dry to call out to you

i was
claustrophobic and hesitant
unruly in my sediments,
stubborn, like the rooted ****

i was
quite the public nuisance
but still you loved me
pulled me up,
and dressed me in a kings garb

now i make the
roses weep
and all the lilies lament
their endless jealousies

just as you promised.