THE WHITE ROSE PAINTED WITH BLOOD

xliv - poem 4; listen to the wind, my alice

listen to the wind

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤmy alice

listen to the lime
green and white
bars of silk threads
in the concrete

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤlisten to the sound
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤof wonderland of
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤsummer and air

my alice, here are the steps to reaching wonderland

ONE. create your own manual

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤshe reached inside
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤof herself so deep
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤuntil she uncovered
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤeverything she never
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤknew she had

{BECAUSE IT ISN'T
THAT YOU DON'T
HAVE COURAGE
OR STRENGTH &
IT'S NOT ABOUT
GROWING THEM
INSTEAD IT'S ALL
ABOUT FINDING
YOURSELF}

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤit's a leap of faith
that's the only thing it is

*generating manual*

alice's manual to reach herself and wonderland

1. imagine blue gray bubble gum pink streets cleansed with boba rains where cats and dogs sleep on sunkissed roofs painted with bliss

2. imagine rabbits holding copper watches running down mazes of rabbit hole tunnels to get to work on time

3. imagine poker cards becoming alive, painting white roses pink and gray and coral

4. imagine sunflowers on the moon falling down into the ocean to form islands of evermore euphoria

5. imagine rosemary dancing on mint and lemon tea with a surface of laughter ripples from the tea party

6. imagine spring kissing autumn in a union that neither could have imagined

7. imagine pastel greens and yellows and pinks swirled with faded blues and grays and auburns

8. imagine cakes oozing with milk and honey and cherry sauce

9. imagine turning so small that the trees seem like skyscrapers and the petals floating down the river like boats and the water lilies and poppies like balloons fingering the charcoal stars

10. believe

TWO. it's all a leap of faith

her heart whispered

to her mind until

her atoms engraved

her own instructions

inside her dna

ㅤㅤㅤㅤmy sweet child,
ㅤㅤㅤㅤthis was what you were bㅤoㅤrㅤnㅤto do