Spark

Deep down beneath the floorboards of my soul
Intangible lives
In a place where the softness
Of a thousand tears longs to kiss your naked feet

In each breathing crevice of my being
Light resides
Its splendor dances, mirrored in the hundred polished shields
Left behind by unnamed warriors

Playing somewhere beyond the grasp of your imagination
The child I will never be
laughs her music into the the folds of my newly unlocked heart
She dares you to wander the burnished path

The one that threatens to trip you as it winds
between the barbed wire of sorrow
And the mossy gardens of gleeful fairies
And once haunted places

Marked by piles of worried stone
All the walls are falling down to greet the water
To kneel and worship at the river’s edge
Her rushing sweetness sings forgiveness
Transforming lost things to found memory
Leading your mind in all directions at once

A sudden thunder of bird wings
A wind of countless arrows above
For a moment you are lost to the dream
And you are blind
Still determined
Down the stairs you stumble
Unable to surrender to anything but curiosity

Tapping on spirit doors
Rattling the casements of my soul
Moving all my furniture
Rolling back the rugs

Shouting a name you hope I will answer to
Frantic now in your desire to see my essence
Who I am and how I bleed
What is the crux of my happiness

If you stop scrying so hard
Cease your pushing, pulling and stabbing at the shadows
Embrace this stillness
That coats the very center of the beast

Like the resonance of snow
Or a hymn sung by feathers falling on your skin
In the pure hushed and purple quiet
You’ll find what you didn't know you were looking for
And yet, exactly what you wanted

In the cradle of the darkest, darkest dark
Shining moonlit like a pearl
A glowing ruby dwells at the core eternal
A spark pirouetting and leaping

Fueled by you
And each who passes nearest my heart
Rooms for those I've held most precious
And sometimes even strangers who have wandered in

Touched me in a chance exchange
And left a permanent mark, unaware
That brief bright spark would become a torch
Lighting the way
Eviscerating even the blackest pitch, the most indiscernible path

The convergence of sparks bubbles upward
Miniature stars bursting in the fountain’s crest
Pouring out my eyes, lifting my smile
They stream from my fingertips when I open my arms
To encircle your weary body

Each point on my crown becomes an inextinguishable ember
Fueled by every interaction
Of love and regret
Of hunger and joy

Illuminations that come from many
Flow through me inside and out
They change and reinforce who I am
The source of inspiration
The definition of purpose
An intricate dance of satisfaction and need

But this spark I hold in my hand, just now
Is the moment we met
This dazzling brightness perched on my shoulder
Is one of many times
we have shared our desire

This flickering ember in the crook of my arm
Is the piece of me that misses your face
Your arms, your sex,
The warm, rich rumble
Of your voice when my name departs your mouth


I’m fondest of this spark
Which embodies this longing
It remains even when we are pressed close
Blissfully drowning
Fingers lacing, a net
Fishing in the wildness of our personal ocean

A reminder that everything is fleeting
Except the spark