siren songs and little things

i dream of too many songbirds

and silly little things

too wrapped in silk to see the consequences,

you see? and shadow minds on the other side.

croquet towers, a million little lights.

trapped ghosts in ivory towers,

those we've all seen before.

but lilac purple shawls don't lay across

our shoulders like they used to;

they hack and burn and sink through

the skin, right to the bone.

yellow sunrays, bouncing across the water.

and too many footprints in the wet sand.

brown paper bags on either hand, castigated,

sent to the edge of the forest until we can

remove the stain of life from our eyes.

mushroom dotted forearms, i look down,

see trails of ivy where my toes used to be.

wrapping around the earth, stone, sun.

bound by laws of gravity no one ever thought to teach.

repress the butterfly. silk wings for another day.

pinky finger in the sky, feel the wind,

like hot tea: surprise. and burn my lips.

birdsong for another day, lightning and

lighthouses for now.

shade your eyes from the light and

fight your way back to shore.

9.2.24