To Want
In my youth
I was a witch
Upon my rib a scar
And in my hands
I held a bird
A precious azure star
If only to fly
I could have known grace
But such was not mine to share
So with envious hands
I spread his wings, broke them,
And left him laying there
“Do you bleed?”
I asked the bird
“Do you feel as I do?
I’ve suffered idleness
And so I must tell you
Of the dreams I have of endless seas
And of temples vandalized.
My love for you undying,
Yet still away you fly.
The sky may welcome you,
But my words a tempest make.
I will cage you in my chest
For I have no heart to break.”
If only he bled
I would feel alive
But his life was not mine to take
He dreamed my dreams
And in sleep he walked
To drown himself in the lake
In my heart
There was a mouth
A hungry thing, a pit
Deep within
Was built a nest
And white bones lay in it
To fill the hole
I would seat something new
Where a bird once made his nest
So I climbed the mountain,
Gave him sacrifice,
And clung to his rocky breast
“Do you speak?”
I asked the mountain,
“Do you feel as I do?
Every drop of sweat
Was to be worthy of you.
Though I still have fear of falling
And being blinded by the sun,
I want only for my devotion
To set loose your crystal tongue.
My words are to you unmoving
For your roots run far too deep.
Without the strength to crush you,
You’ll dissolve in tears I weep.”
If only he spoke
I would be made whole
But his stones were not mine to break
He fell into my tears
And in silence was carried
Through the streams that fed the lake