when

The bud g r e w

unconscious of me

I shivered deeper

as it may be

seething.

soaking in how I stuffed it down

inside a cold dark chest

locked

decades

with only glimpses

of nourishment

how many times have I abandoned you?

me.

That day you threw me

into the brick wall

the wind flew through my body

as I ricocheted into the mud

slow-motion

I laughed

and my lungs rerouted you back out as a i r

dazed.

as the light floats

in

blinks out

became.

a scattering of dancing stars

luminously

my lips curl up/

this is what it is to alive.