The genius sheds his skin
beneath the weeping yew trees.
The stars bleed symphonies
into the night sky
and he is whole,
for the first time in his life.

The girl shakes little flakes of doubt
from the tips of her shaking fingers,
allowing it to fall to the forgiving earth.
She loves with an empty head
as chemical reactions combust
within her mortal veins,
and she is whole
for the first time in her life.