I pay for each cut
as if I consumed the world
The oceans, the grass,
the filth and the dirt
Swelling, stretching, tearing at the gut
Death seeps into the marrow
Even as my bones yearn to hollow,
to be birthed anew,
to frolic upon the cosmic floor
A lightless dawn breaks
and my skin falls apart at your touch
as if it were never mine shield
Shattered, my ribs, yet I breathe
Dark feathers sprout
like a million pin-pricks
pain and pleasure wedded;
I accept your penalties
along with your gifts
Eons to wait
before judgement day
Your nightly winds move me much; yet
my roots run so deep
that I wonder,
If I shall ever spread my wings, when
the price is so steep?
-x-