mother of wild | dangerous woman
for how long have you
held your breath, love?
pull taut your soft parts
full marks
how much oxygen has been
barred from your blood, love?
embers held
in prison cell lungs
by their eyes, love?
this death they
have chosen for you
agonizing
and poised
breathe, love
for the love of god just
breathe
i was made
for the
spaces
in
between
there is something
in my marrow
an energy that hums
and rattles
my
bones
my bird song is
one
of
tension
the long stretch
from catalyst to
resolution as it
hangs
in
the air
it is messy
and it is dark
but i am not alone
and this is where i have found peace
you see, it takes the sun eight minutes
and thirty seconds
to reach the earth and
it is within this lightspeed that we
find each other
or
sometimes
crash
bruised and battered we find
desperate relief in the clinging
we are bleeding but still
very
much
alive
I wanted to be a rose
Velvet petals and teasing thorns
Delicate and easy to hold
I am willow tree breasts
And thighs like galaxies
A sand dune belly
Siren call hips
And sea storm eyes
I am soft in all of the right
And wrong places
Nobody thought
To give my body a map
I wanted to be a rose
But I am devasting
And cannot be wrapped in cellophane
i am plush
and easily broken, warmed butter woman
instead of hardening i will simply grow taller
though my muddy toes splay and sprawl into damp earth
cloud bottoms tickle my palms and wind dances between my elbows
i grin at the stars and my fingertips reach
reach reach clear across the universe
sunflower girl, vulnerable and untouchable
your first mistake was not realizing i could be both
not every little girl
is a princess
some of them
are dragons
with hot breath and sharp hands
they hunt for treasure
and scare men
it is so easy to climb back
into bed with my demons
sheets cold but worn
decades of “sleep well”
decades of “good morning”
decades of looking into the same tired faces
with bleary eyes and foggy minds
i am tired
so very tired
i would leave
i should leave
but look at how much i have to pack 
