floating and leaving no trace
i crawl upon the earth
on my belly
like a snake
without benefit of limbs
i could coil myself
into a figure eight
the symbol for infinity
or shed my skin
and other symbol
this time for renewal
and immortality
or bite my tail
encircling the world
but the world has been
unkind to snakes
and i think i would
rather find some shade
than be a symbol
i found your blood
in a red-stained envelope
waiting in my mailbox
throbbing like an organ
the thickened state of it
surprised me though
i thought it would be more akin
to ice water than a
hot, swirling pudding of
reds and browns
easy enough to take a pen
and write
–but carefully
so as not to puncture–
[return to sender]
and lift the heart-red flag
to alert the postman
i didn’t have a letter opener, you see
and i was out of stationery and
razor blades
for a proper reply
Words and Feathers 