Angel

I want to climb out of my skin

I want to tear my flesh apart into ribbons

I want to skewer my muscles on frozen pikes

And grind my bones to dust beneath my heels

-

I want to punch a halo in my skull with

My fist, and latch onto my brain

With claws made of copper

I want to build eternal wings

With my spinal column;

Each feather carefully rendered

From my bones

-

I want to rise into the sky

Without body or presence of mind

I want to feel the air rush through

My mangled form

-

I want to reach the greatest height

Of the stratosphere, and then

Rip apart my wings

Before the clouds

-

I want to fall

I want to laugh as gravity takes hold

I want to plummet,

And to never again feel caged

-

This is the eighth poem in RE: SURGENCE, a poetry collection by Amanda Starks that shares what it's like to have and fight against mental illness in a free-form, lyrical prose.

Be aware that topics and themes may include suicide, self-harm, and isolation.

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If you want a free copy of RE: SURGENCE in an online, fully formatted PDF document, subscribe to my email newsletter at www.amandastarks.com ( found under the CONTACTS tab ), and it will be in your inbox once all the poems have been published here!