i enter myself
through a clearing
in the crackling
thicket of memories
to find what is left
salvageable artifacts
something even sacred
like a loyal pet
waiting to be rescued
tail between its injured legs
stench of abandoned hope
whatever hasn’t already
been laid to rest
and to survey the damage
of another ravaged year
still drowning
in the sweet marrow
of my brittle former selves
holding still
before taking flight
listening for signs of life
bubbling to the surface
holding my breath
trying to see through
the muddied slow-drift
of days as i turn my head
like a red-crowned crane
amongst the smoldering reeds
by the water’s edge
through a clearing
in the crackling
thicket of memories
to find what is left
salvageable artifacts
something even sacred
like a loyal pet
waiting to be rescued
tail between its injured legs
stench of abandoned hope
whatever hasn’t already
been laid to rest
and to survey the damage
of another ravaged year
still drowning
in the sweet marrow
of my brittle former selves
holding still
before taking flight
listening for signs of life
bubbling to the surface
holding my breath
trying to see through
the muddied slow-drift
of days as i turn my head
like a red-crowned crane
amongst the smoldering reeds
by the water’s edge
Silk~ Poet. Recent Publication Credits: Frogpond; Sublunary Review; Lothlorien Poetry Journal; Briefly Write Magazine, Inklette Magazine; Mycelium Magazine; Versification; Presence; Hyacinth Review; Paddler Press; Strukturriss; The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls; and Modern Haiku. Longlisted in the 2021 Frontier Digital Chapbook Contest. You can find Silk~ on Twitter at @Silk73507704
