she walked

foot on each crack in the sidewalk
the heel of her boot
sinking

and then her skin peels away
turpentine wiping away
the painting that is her mask

and she walked

she crumbled
her bones dust

come back
you've gone too far, little girl

the wind blows her away
the sun cremates her memory

and she is born again in the rain
sprouting from between
the cracks in the sidewalk

and she walked

Allah has brought my heart to bear,
          become a witness to an Arab plight.

The call to arm's it beckons so...
          division it aches and cremates the care.

Oh Great Holy Prophet show me today,
          as sadness covers heart, soul and mind.

Let judgement pass before it's too late,
          redeem my soul or the martyr's way?

The smoke in the air
fills my breath with memories
summer fires between naked nights

The smoke in the air
The smoke fills my breath
stings my lungs and nose
burns my eyes

In autumn smoke smells like leaves
leaves me in a daze
days go up in smoke
The smoke in the air

The smoke creates myth
the smoke cremates me

Tomorrow I present a story to class
about a man who cremates himself
they will
ask if he is a reflection of myself
I'll have to nod my head slowly
taking in my fill
of "why's he so grim" and
"his mind is so ugly"
but I describe death
better than anything
I'm sorry for the horror story
that is
me