Paper Cities

I dip my toes in the sunlit bay of New Life
Watching the golden ripple of my design.
Lack of apology keeps me buoyant
As I slip with deeper intention 
Breath growing sweeter with each draw, I hold it.
Never my own to keep… sweeter, still

Floating upside-down
In an idyllic stream of consciousness 
Raspberry waves, supple with covetous healing
Embark unrestricted; storm beaten and evolved
Eagerly open to the sky 
Awash with heartbreak and gentle chaos

I ponder. 
Lain bare,
My hands tell the story my voice betrays
The truth, then. Lying in my wake. 
The spent match still smokes
And all I can smell is kerosene and Hell Fire

Wrapped loosely in a gossamer cloud
I fill my lungs with the thought of you
To expel it with great relief
Fingers stained with the ash of bad decision
While paper cities burn in the background
Blinding beauty against a honey colored sky

Neatly complex and fragile to the touch
The flavor of destruction moistens my lips
Before they ever touch yours
Blackened soot of my past burns each time I scream your name
Let it burn...
Let all of it burn

Threadbare, my flightless wings
Patched and hurried repair
Stitched with the tears of misplaced affection
Offer my needle holding my breath as if to keep it
A bluff because I know the pain that follows
I hold it and raise my offering anyway

The path to Shangri-la flutters with hope
Rugged fires die a distant history
While gossamer threads melt in the moonlight 
Baptized under lazy evergreens
Swaying romance and dusky shadows at the stars
The sun disappears and I exhale