c o n t e n t s
L o t u s i n t h e G a r d e n
Lotus
I was captivated by the first traces of light that bounced
between ripples in the sky as you danced across the dawn
Your allure neither ignorant nor oppressed
But hesitation caught in the undertow of each spill to
your skin from my dew-coated eyes crashed against the flow of
promises dripping off your tongue
Giving the daylight more time
To unfold me slowly, pausing for breath in the lull of
tranquil nights spent coaxing lucid dreams through my veins
I was intoxicated by your sight
But what I could not see instilled the wrong kind of
interest in my mind, curiosity playing me the fool I'd so
easily become
Until I was gently pulled apart
One soft petal at a time, unable to ignore the burning
particles in the air that blurred sanity with sincerity
Swallowed whole in your spite
Only to be reborn from thick strokes of grime painting
clear waters opaque, freed like dry eyes from heavy lids
I emerged, clean and pure
Dripping in victory and knowledge meant to distill
from my body and bless the world with my beauty
Oh, What a purpose to be had
But I was unaware of my lifeline coiled up in your rays,
doomed to fall beneath the horizon just as quickly as I came
Left suspended, a gentle cry
That even the scum of the Earth can offspring
wondrous things, and I refuse to fade under your withering gaze
Lest your light leave me blind
Violet
Bare flesh and damp sheets
curled up in their
promiscuous intent
Hiding shame and regret
we do not deserve
Your absence is felt
in the dreams of
infant hearts
But I revel in the space
you can’t reach
And when tender veins burst
stinging eyes with
tears of rage
Your screams, they’ll yearn
for my company
Iris
Let bygones effloresce
the old nurtures the new
Each fresh vessel of the Earth
rebirths meaning in its hollows
Say, who are you to me-
who am I to anyone?
We are perennial,
in hope, in faith, in theory
Let it be known
all sinners were once saints;
The light creates the dark
and we’re all painfully the same
Pansy
You are a pansy
That is,
you pense dandily
Imagine lovely things
where others
see tragedy
Consider everything
vividly subtle;
pastel saturation
You are a pansy
Ivy
Tangled up in your sweet
berry lips and rough cheeks.
Mangled bones growing weak
as frail twigs between teeth.
Holly, darling, it seems
I can’t breathe.
Marigold
Marigold,
Fairygold
What do you see?
Jealousy hiding behind red lids,
asleep
Marigold,
Fairygold
What have you done?
Cast hatred in flames to watch the
lions run
Primrose
We all blossom the same
Our stems parallel by nature
Then practice for space.
