today i swallowed the rising sun. i was
reborn among a valley of lavender tulips

a scent wafting in the air thicker
than blood. a sly smile spreads across the

unmasked visage; an ignorant forest fire at
my heels that licks my eyes; opened doors.

fragments of my thoughts dissipate into ashes.
a wilted barrier; only sometimes weeds that

smell of shadows pester in the absence of facility.
sunshine drops are the smiles of the infinite

but unknowingly incinerate the restricted.
venomous tears cause seemingly closed eyes

when you love yourself. is the human experience
truly the expansion of your own character,

the outward manifestation of your spirit? they
tell me you go to hell if you’re on fire. if so,

condemn me to burn out only after i’ve been put out.
an inner fire brands my soul of gratefulness.

i scratched at the inner surface of my skin with
ivory claws surrounded by plum petals of springtime.