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d r e a d f u l - d a r l i n g s

prompt: dreadful darlings

(prompt by hallowed.honey on insta)

also inspired by the once and future witches by alix e. harrow (highly recommend, 10/10) 

hope and its flowers

are dreadful darlings—

curling their roots

like dense, gnarled fingers

in the rain-kissed soil 

of my mind,

tangling dangerously

with my thoughts,

turning the barren garden

trampled and tortured inside

into a dreamt-up kingdom

of wild roses 

as deadly as weeds

when left untended 

and sweet,

persistent and

powerful

hope and its flowers

are everlasting,

blooming in my chest

with my every breath

as if i give steel

to their strong stems;

velvet softness

to their unfurling petals

just by daring to 

lift my head and live,

refusing to bow my head

or bend

at failure's forceful hand

like a simple sunflower would

when the sun, its golden mother

is swallowed by the summer storm,

and the constant patter of rain

pulls at its petals

until they're dripping with despair

and scorched by lightning,

torched by lies of limitations

to one's inner light

when the world is no longer

wondrous

but dark with words

sharp as swords

my candle, this blue flame

against the night

is tucked between

the steady pulses

of my heartbeat

where it's safe from the storm,

and the stars only gossip about

this new sister