ASHES IN A LAKE
They put her body into another body and
when I put my body in that body with her body
my crawl obscures veneer against radiant point.
Perseid falls the night of my birthday in the dark
unbolted sky. Hero—son of a god—burning
in a shower of gilt.
I am born of this gold. Of this lake.
Mother of her mother of my mother
taught me to count the seconds after lightning
IT WAS ME, I WAS THE SNAKE
Use new hands to tie up the tendon, the great ventricle. Heart is the last muscle to burn when the
bound body alights. Ropes beg you to say something darker so they can be sure none of this is
real. A mouth meant to swallow. A tail meant to sing for you.
Something behind the retina is letting in too much light. In your blindness the bells pearl.
Glint Literary Journal 