the ones
who hollow you out
leave a cave
for another
to place
a candle in
your flame throws bird shadows
over the walls of my heart
that have never known sky
fairy lights flickered
when no one was watching
woodsmoke curled to sleep
in the grass
miss the sea glass
crumbling sunlight
in your eyes
knowing fire
through the smoke
of your songs
the tantrums
of your tenderness
how your steps
slowed
to match mine
stars born
from the sparks
of figure skaters
figure eighting
upon the dark ice
of deep space
all my taps are dripping
the sun froths and flares
bright
as a blackbirds beak
light stuck
between your teeth
eyelashes
on fire
the poplars are still
silver shivers inside
ripples repeating themselves
within the pillars
of their trunks
stories to temper steel to
when the story falls silent
the folds folded
asleep inside the blade
the white of a waterfall
the moon hiding half its face
a candle burned
flame sunk
into the column
of its body
tears viscous
with lives lost
cum cloudy
with ghosts
of lives
never lived
a cobweb of strings
poured from the cross
that control our limbs
you speak in song
sing to the robin
about how your heart
rusted red
you’re the leaves that foxtrot
with the tatters of a plastic bag
in the blustery corner of my deserted courtyard
become young again
twirled by the world-weary wind
that still remembers how to dance