In the place I’d grown up,
I find myself still

Surrounded by mountains,
at the bottom of a hill

The trees that grow around me,
have watched me as I’ve aged

They’ve also watched as I’ve returned,
like a captive too long caged

For a while when I came back,
I urged to run away

But the magic in these mountains,
has saved me every day

When the dark comes knocking,
and I just want to run

I run towards the forest,
into dappled spots of sun

I sit there in the hour,
named after golden light

And in that orange daydream,
the dark is out of sight

I don’t realise I’ve been holding my breath until those rare still moments
When all I hear are birds and I’m drowning in a light that makes everything pink, like a red sock dying the washing
And I let out a big exhale when I see the moon in the sky as the sun is setting
It’s all     so      beautiful
It squeezes the air out of me
And I want to just exist here in this sacred hour
Where the loneliness feels not so tight and everything feels lighter and it’s ok that it’s just me

at this forbidden hour,
Cinderella has to be home,
yet her hands are gently being kissed
as her heart turns into a pumpkin,
ready to be patched in mid March,
she dances with a broken glass heel,
twirls the ticking clock,
making the hour golden.

tangerine and pink flying through your eyes.
Sending flames to not only the sky,
but my heart as well.
They engulf my soul.
Keeping me warm through the night
when the colors have faded to nothing but smoke.
Skin wrapped up in the magic of your fingertips,
the wild flower you tucked behind my ear
blown free in a spiral towards the blistering clouds.
I ran and ran to the edge of the field, grass tickling my toes.
Only to feel the warmth on my back and realize it’s time again.
There will be a million wildflowers, but only one golden hour.
I wouldn’t want to miss it.

It seems like we just started talking about my move and you coming with me.
Everyday went on just like the last,
only a little better than the day before.
Like I had plenty of time to count the seconds, waste the minutes and spend the hours away with you,
and then one day,
I woke up on a Saturday,
& were 6 days away from starting over together & me being 23,
the morning light casting a golden glow on your green eyes as you tell me "Good Morning" with a kiss

Right now you are packing the things you are bringing to merge our stuff into one place called home
Each day gets a little warmer, the future gets a little closer and the past gets a little bit further away & I'm starting to feel just like the flowers in the spring,
rising from the ground with the help of the sun's rays,
my roots stronger than ever, & ready to bloom into something beautiful