I bloom through dirt

with an uneven stem,

and a heart that 

breaks instead of beats;

the light catches in a way 

that illuminates them-

the fragmented petals

laying at my feet. 

my body’s a church 

filled with unholy deities

chatting amongst themselves 

at sunday mass;

my body possesses 

an unholy beauty,

louder than bombs 

greener than grass. 

my mind aches from housing  

all my bad thoughts

and the weight of 

all my bad days;

but then you tell me 

you’re also lost,

and suddenly I am

not as afraid. 

birds still sing of 

love and loss,

I still weep of 

guilt and shame;

but time does not 

stop to appease us,

and art still exists 

with no name. 

the glow of the moon 

cannot tell my secrets 

when the only secret 

I keep is you;

the thump of my heart

bursts free through cleavage 

until everything I am

seeps through. 

dreams remain dreams,

thread remains thread,

the tie of the knot 

won’t be loosened;

it tethers me there 

to a world in my head,

where love exists 

and is proven. 

every day that I breathe

is another survived,

i’m learning to love

my own name;

with solace comes crashing,

earth-shattering tides 

and a peace that appears 

just the same.