I am the cripple of the
severed seas, an ocean
split between the polar ends of sad and
fervent, feast on stale bread and watch with
tired eyes the stars that wear its vision thin,
flicker then fade like dying

Empty empty empty
like the inside of a coffin never slept in, only
dreamt of death but still could
move these limbs

Felt like lead, like anchors low and heavy, like
weights on the foot sinking deeper to drown

Anguish worn like a bandage 'round the head, I
know the color of the broken and they are
blue but golden in the light, laying
still as the ripples wash like waves against the skin

Sewn into the edges of the bones are songs that
cling like fabric, slow moving but
sweet and floating. Mismatched patches hemmed at the
broken spaces, now glimmering, leak
stardust in the streams

Blink once and miss the whales that kiss the sky,
blink twice and miss the burning of the sun that
enlarges and prevails

Lean into the flowers and guide them