I shall lie hid--

I shall lie hid in my hair

swept in a golden glow

warmed by the breath of my mouth

There is a door in the flame

a cavern within the candle

I will pass through

the door is too far

I close my eyes

There is a door in my mind

a flaming spark behind pale eyelids

I will walk into the light

the light is too far

I weep behind my hair

2/2/01

Gulls flying in--

gulls flying in

over the gray-gold sea

fiery light

burnished copper feathers

create winged hope out of the night

4-11-1999

(There are no gulls where I live in Texas. So I didn't realize they were noisy, greedy, disgusting birds.)

Everything broken--

Everything broken,

shattered

scattered

beams of light, torn by leaves

rainbow colors, light received,

strands gleam,

golden

olden

memories of thought,

shattered and bought,

as songs.

Hot morning--

hot morning

sudden silence

the cars' muted rush ceases

wind's breath

warm and moist

and a single brown

feather

barely an inch long

spins and swoops

hanging by an invisible thread

from the still green tree

8/21/01

Gladioli--

gladioli

thick

textured

color

7/4/99

(What? I like gladioli. Say it five times fast...)

I see--

I see

fingers pointing

they point at me

I think

I see

them laughing

at me I think

I want to crawl and hide

but then I find

my shell is shattered

I stand outside

a circle

peering in

but when I look

to flee inside myself

I find

I am an outcast

even

within

2-23-1998

(Ooo, genuine teen angst! See, I had a normal childhood!)

I like--

I like the feel of a pencil

smooth

knobby

gliding scratchily

across the page

5/30/98