Fair Flying

Chewing blue lips, I retrace steps through stars, flirting with moons. I choose to peruse stardust, not blood. Maybe this mess is crucial, a reverse foxtrot of love, where I stumble over toes, numbing spines to dip deep and long. Maybe this mess is sacred, a puddle of black matter flattening my frills, clipping me to the edge of God’s belly ring.

Draw out venom With pens. Roll on ink Like perfume. Feel bubbles behind eyes; Draw those out too With sharpened pencils And plates, knives And ceramic snakes, Like someone who’s blind But sees .

Bruises are illusions, Spoon fed through pores, Stored at the surface, where wounds Relish their looks. Bluish gold, bruises fold, overlap, Then fade into clockwork veins, Steam-driven, harp playing machine. Bruises are illusions Fused with fear. Color appears thin But remains a stain for life.

Stomach spirals, Twirling tornados, Serpentine silence. Sage smoke Seeping violent veins, thrumming raspberry threads. Violet lips tremble, wet velvet, scarlet puddles. Lilac livers flutter, shuttering wings fan fire. Peppermint gasoline, methamphetamine. Sticky sap encapsulating lungs, tickling throngs of fat, skin. Wedged between thimble limbs. Simpering mouths Salivate clouds. Huddled, flushed, puckering Teeth grip the cup, gulping For dear life.

New book skin, leather bound bones, Diamond spine. Eyes so divine, Stars cry. Words spill from your mouth, tipping, Colliding with my lips, a smashing Azure cracking teeth. Vicious vice, delicious black ice, Coils of smoke trickle down, fanning Outer space. You lean over me, a twisted cavern of knots And knives, bending, close to snapping, but I break first.

We're meshing messes, hands dressing One another in water and wine. Gems Upon dreams longing to be held. I’m the crooked arrow lodged In the tree’s bones. You’re the light turning marrow green.

Dedicated to Courtni Mitchell Weeping willow that doesn’t weep. Eye of an ocelot who never sleeps. Wild centaur raiding kingdoms for roses. Wise child Growing up in tree houses. Autumn leaves shimmying down rivers, sinking Toward bottomless troves. Tension of the bow; release of the arrow. Huntress’s smile; goddess’s child. Sky crackling, smoking like steak in the summer. Ocean’s desire for simplicity. Felicity found in Sipping jagermeister. Superstitious leprechaun feasting on fireworks. Lilies Growing underwater. Heart of a new mother. Fist of an old father. Crystallizing throat when hugging another.

Sex is transparent treasure to me. Like quartz, it falls short. But every stone has purpose. Alone, it makes me nervous. Combined, there is focus, even in the palms of a novice.

Our hands are chains Linking souls; They tremble but Never let go. We are entwined, Spine against thighs, Twisted, tangled, Thrown through tumbling tides.

America’s laughing. You wanna know why? Out of all the Queens, She won the crown in her teens. Bitch was fierce and she knew it. But y’know, She was big and beautiful But she was sick like a witch, And she smoked And drank (oh, Lordy, did she drank ). She stuffed her big booty up in that dress and corset, Coughed up her lungs for all to see, And they were nasty , honey, Believe me. America’s tired, girl. You wanna know why? She’s tired of winning all the time. She’s tired of wakin’ up and painting her face and serving red white and blue realness when really, She’s a hot mess! You better believe She ain’t walkin’ in those heels no more, because they broke And she broke. She owe all her friends more than she got, Cuz she thought she had it all but ‘it all’ looks a hell of a lot like nothin’, You know what I’m sayin’? Ain’t nobody seen America untucked before. Ain’t nobody Ever seen the nitty gritty behind the chic. So when sh...

She fell asleep With eyes open. Her lover hovers Over her. Nose to nose, Eye in eye, Mouth to mouth. He sucked poison from Her spout; Took a shot. Hand to hand, Face from face, Bottle to bottle. He raided her body And found himself.

I was a soldier, once. We all were; A perfectly pristine array stalking the border, taking orders from the sun. I’ve won battles against beetles and my body bottles raindrops. You strip me of my armor. Beneath layers of jade, my skin is ripe and gold, my blood sticky And slippery in your clumsy claws. I was made from nephilim teeth. I capture your soul, and Your mouth becomes a fountain. Your fingers pick silk, Leaving me nude.

Ruby galaxy, How sweet you look sitting Atop the desk, Where all planets Shrink and become nick-nacks. While you await your fate, I’ll wrap you in paper And save you for Tonight, when you soak My lips with stars.

“Loss is one of the hardest things you’ll ever go through. The other is love.” -Maurice Chacchia, my grandfather. ---  Labradorite bubble, Royal blue balloon. As the moon rose, She did too. Last summer, A tree snagged her. Ribbon and bark entangled. Slivers of heart strangled. After months of struggle, Her skin crumbled, But she inhaled air and Ascended to Heaven. There, she met the moon, Who told her: “it’s okay To love the tree, But you can be free too.” Moon taught Balloon Star language, And she learned how To speak galaxies. Moon and Balloon Danced and sang And made a kingdom Out of oblivion. Moon gave Balloon Air, clouds, stardust And a promise In stone. But even stone Can fracture. The moon shattered Like brittle bone. Severed pearls slashed. Thorns raped And battered Smooth skin. Shrieking, the balloon Popped, sobbed And dropped.