Backburn

Piercings of new growth

Photo by Ahmed Adly on Unsplash

compressed butane no flint rounded flint
worn smooth flint
no spark no light
except in the pain where endorphins reign
rain rain wet flint no flint
raw on top from bleeding thumb
would you laugh if i said give me a beat?
paddle hard if i drag us out too deep?
scared of the shark at the deep end of the pool?
tan brick landscapes designed by a fool
wrought iron dreamscapes oh so cool
summer’s over cover the pool
cover sags collects debris leaves
autumn gray winds
kisses from the ghouls

brass blowtorch to the gasoline
that i blanketed over everything
to boil our skin off clean
down to the pretty bones

winter kills all dead raw dead flaws
wet flint no flint bleeding spring piercing growth kills stillness
pierces pops porcelain earth skin
another year older summer again
gemini twin
dead again
twice as hard
for the two souls grinding under my aging skin
neither one ever learned where to even begin
so forget about the lack of butane gas and
throw the lighter in the trash
and
move on
down the road

Joe Wade, reporting from Cicadaville…