everyone I know is dead

Or
it's I who's gone & beyond to them

but in this moment I feel beautiful
I've never felt so pure before

free from being a thought-
fore, after or otherwise

not in the least troubled with concern
as it has not troubled itself
to extend its pruned fingers in
my direction

how sweet it is to be nothing at all

lips free from the stain of
pretty lipstick,
no strain of passion in my face

the excess of pity
and empathy have left
their mark, in any case

I've no love to keep me,
no tender arms to cage me in

I am not but a mere ripple
in a vast timeless ocean

to which I yearn to return

I never was and I will never be

gone & beyond is the only
fleeting meaning I've seen and need