Raze
When I lay under the smoldering shadow
of all our forgotten moments,
I swallow the instinct to pull apart
the torrid shell I've become accustomed to trust.
"Trust."
The word is cold against skin,
and tests the strength of bones.
But, it always seems to find a way in
like the most devious of things.
It slithers toward its prey,
tonguing morsels of comfortability,
savoring the beauty of the hunt.
Whittling down my posturing spirit,
making a pliant spine out of what was
once an oak trestle connecting
heart to mind-
wearing the weight of time.
But now the chasm catches the crash-
nerve endings miscarry their orders,
limbs writhe in superstitious fashion,
eyes exhale the salt of memory,
while a tired heart stubbornly holds its breath.
The world turns blue,
and a scattered imprint seeks shelter
from a lover's raze.
-James Kelley 2014, All rights reserved.
|