you’re the barn owl
born from the ground bones of a bonfire
in the font turned firepit
at the heart of my crumbled cathedral
pirouette upon rusted blades
across scorched streets
dissolve into the spray
of their own sparks
rust and ash
pollen and snow
your heart
more scar than tissue now
you’re scarring the scars
stars born
from the sparks
of figure skaters
figure eighting
upon the dark ice
of deep space
stories to temper steel to
when the story falls silent
the folds folded
asleep inside the blade
we breathe in
the dark of each other
silhouettes pirouette
with the shadows
of marionettes
stilled by all the sunlight
held in your skin
a tree shakes off
a torrent of rain
dipped its head
in the sky
where you try to excavate
your encrypted heart
I wanted to touch the scars
upon your clawed at chest
ghosts aren’t only
what has been
they’re also
what never happened
echo of songs
never sung
never listened to
you were the wren
that led me
through the reeds
that stroked my sides
feathered my face
words brighter
than the paper
they scar
bright
as a blackbirds beak
light stuck
between your teeth
eyelashes
on fire