floating and leaving no trace
like ancient
desert worn parchment
where the text has faded
let me curl against you
let us fold up together
let there be no dry whisper
of fingertips smoothing
our edges
no
flattening us
let us spiral together
our stories winding about
one another
——
the scar is where the word got in
digging like the worm that it is
lacking but one letter for such a metamorphosis
single-toothed it found fertile ground and began to feed
to breed, a heart sized parasite
scar, i name thee trust
——
the air evacuates the room
like a chest cavity
crushed by gravity
i could not breathe
even if i wanted to
when my mouth opens
everything is stolen from me
am i the heart
trapped in collapsing ribs
or the escaping hiss of oxygen
——
wispy clouds reach
tentacles from some airborne kraken
floating in an inverted sea
will it wrap you in its scaly embrace
will it be warm
i too long to abduct you
like some mythological beast
but i offer
only human arms
broken hands
quiet whispers
——
to say the heat is a dry heat
is not to say it isn’t hot
or that hell will not cook you
regardless of the humidity
but i guess hot and sticky
is worse than hot
still
even my shadow
sweats
in the shade
——
trees shaken by breezes
in summer when shadows
are crisp
in fall
when clouds hide
our other selves
books opened
favored passages
corners dog-eared
your love
in spring when belief
is easy
in winter when the leaves
are moldy memories stuck
to shoes
——
i keep my heart
sealed tight in a jar
so you can’t hear its beating
i put a blanket
over the glass at night
since it makes noise
while i sleep
i whisper a soft lullaby
the words your name
repeated like a heartbeat
——
Words and Feathers 