Last Winter
ice webbing
a glass floor fallen
through thudding ear drums
driving choking breaths
borrow seconds
weigh options
hold for saving graces
the cold weighing
down
down
down
give organs pause
slow the trickle of blood gone bad
vicious is the water
speaking silent thoughts
goodbyes to those
not drowning
Crack the knuckles
at the knot
Tug the jaw
leave it slack for consumption
Gulp eggs whole
Thread chicken between teeth
Strands of sticky sauce
in the corners
and globs of rice on spoons
Molars press on bones and bread
Drink the wine and wince
at the bitter in cavities
and bleeding gums
Taste saccharine
songs of ice cream melting in
momentary pleasure
Plead with paprika
stinging of soup
and hunks of potato
in the battered pheasant
On the table
slice with knives and devious eyes
pork rinds and punishment
A bulk in the chest
begging for
one more bite.
I die a little each day
I breathe in and out even when I cannot
bear
the silence
I think of you often
I think of us sometimes
mostly in the dark
The day feels too delicate
to suffocate beneath the weight
of your going
You’ve gone
I sometimes think
you’ll come back to me
flowers in hand
a smile on your face
and everything will be okay
Until then, I’ll die a little each day
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
