Bruises

the stitches flirt with the wounds. practical applications for blood. the ghosts tease the stairs. everything is in between. there is nowhere to go.

she climbs for years. the bottom holding her there. the stumble of burning feathers interrupts her dream. flight comes at a price. the mania resolving to empty skins.

crawling out of one. a slave to the next. the husks we leave behind. a dubious shelter. for angels and demons. for poisonous snakes robbed of their venom.

the pain comes in strobe lights. seizures of when. the cold was patient. and choices still chose to let us decide.

the moment. the window. smothered in darkness. the still of the glass. as it promises reflection.

the hurricane of her choices. enters fiercely and leaves like a kitten. she scratches at the glass. blunt claws leave only bruises for the monsters to reference. as we resume this slow healing.