the Forest
there are whispers in these woods
they call
to me Breathing
sweet nothings
born from blackberries
and figs The promise of purpose
pomegranate seeds
mashed by molars
mystifying It’s alive
and breathing
though the exhale doesn’t
stop
and the air has runs
and the lungs don’t
e x p a n d
between trees
the metallic clicking
a painful
gurgling The mouth of the forest
opens wide
stealing air
blood
body
from my soul
o u t s t r e t c h e d am I
doomed to the final moment
a death rattle
Soulful
Autumn leaves in piles
at your feet I smile
whisked up in the chill
of bare tree limbs
regal in poses
possessing the spirit
with promises of apple cider
and cinamon sticks
knitted sweaters
with kaleidoscope jewels
and amber sap
on sticky fingers
finding their way to
comfort in decay
an annual dance
of those bewitched
by western winds
Fortunate are those
with the autumnal soul
Content warning: mentions of blood, profanity
Nosebleed
I see red
smell pennies
am I bleeding out
my nose
or just my eyes
adjustments are needed
contact lenses or otherwise
I’m woozy
walking somewhere
my legs will carry me there
there is where i will go
I don’t know where
the world’s blurry
behind fluid-tinted glasses
how funny it is
that my body can’t contain itself
in lungs or lifeblood
the capacity to
spill over the side
and to want to
pluck reds from strawberry bushes
bell peppers come from bushes too
but you don’t see people picking them
because who’d eat a bell pepper
when life’s dripping
and you’re bleeding all over the fucking carpet
Recipe from Hell
INGREDIENTS
1 garlic clove
5 sesame seeds
4 snake eggs
2 tbsp sage
1 fingerbone
DIRECTIONS
Mash the clove
Grind the sesame seeds
Crack the snake eggs
Whisk until incorporated
Crush the fingerbone finely
Sprinkle bone dust and sage into the mixture
Whisk vigorously until the souls of your enemies cry out
(from beneath the floorboards)
Bake until golden brown, or until the angels weep at your feet
Leave to cool in the center of your pentagram
Allow the hellfire erupting from the ground to crisp the edges
Dig in!
Sleep Paralysis
Waking became worse than dreaming
of guilt and endless rooms
familiar and upside down
bottomless pits on the ceiling
falling upwards
to breathe but not move
words like mercury in the throat
dispel panic through fluttering eyelids
know there is no sense in fighting
a prison of the mind
as limbs stiffen hard
at the sight
perched on the bed
with angel wings
borne of kerosene
headlights for teeth
gnashing at the stillness
beneath tight sheets
A cherry pit soul
screams freedom
TW: Gore, canibalistic imagery, mentions of violence
Reclamation
a crack of the skull to let the demons out
sharp daggers to the chest
pouring love; painting a sygil
violence on grass blades and mushroom tops
too dizzy to lift a hand
skin marred and beautiful, bloody even
nibbled by canines and premonition
bit down on finger bones
gritty and callous resistance
chewed the marrow like tobacco
spit it out, too
onto cold ground; it ferments
like fallen leaves atop moss
the flies buzz hymnals
and maggots squeal
gleeful, they’ll burrow holes
a porous sponge
for mud and dust and rainwater
raw and plain
sinking into the earth
your final resting place
