"
i. crystal
the atmosphere has frozen
there's no air to breathe anymore
the frost binds your wrists in manacles of ice
and sometimes
you feel it thaw – weaken
in the soft evening glow
the heat will dig its nails into your skin
and warm your blood
the warmth of their hands isn't enough
you've heard that all that glitters is not gold
but for some reason
you never apply it enough
it's a new year's resolution
broken every time
and every passing second
is a demanding chime
ii. phoenix
button up
the world is beginning to batter against your skin
there's no escape – no clear path
all the dreams you have built up
will fade and fall just like
trees lose their leaves in the autumn breeze
but you do not have the grace of leaves
you crash
and from the ashes
the phoenix rises
your flame is but a spark now
the wind keeps blowing it out
but the oxygen feeds the flame
and you grow once again
a gentle presence says, "don't worry,
you'll find your call."
iii. nebula
dive in – immerse yourself
let it cover every inch of your skin
until you are one with it
you are caged within yourself
but they are no restraints
this is your shield, your pillar, your life
broken down into one all-encompassing principle –
freedom
every particle within you buzzes
filled with energy like fireflies
the pale purple ghost of dawn flits by
but you remain restless
you stride with power
strumming along the muscles in your limbs
you do not leaves ashes in your wake
but rather the ripe fruit of your work
iv. petrichor
no matter which way the wind blows
remember the roots that ground you – anchor you
to a home of evolution
you are naturally averse to change
every turn of the season inspires mayhem –
a bleeding nose, a bout of flu
but this hardens you, armors you –
thrills you
every time that embrace feels different
different fabric beneath your hands
different scent wafting past
but this warm feeling –
this pool of heat in the pit of your stomach
it's always there
and you think
this is home.
"
-- THE CHANGING OF THE SEASONS
[alternatively entitled: "do you ever wonder how the sun feels?"]
[four seasons come and gone and here we are. we're still the same, but something big has shifted -- a culmination of all the little interactions between us and the world, and we can't go back to naive innocence but i don't think we want to either way. these changes are cyclic, continuous, and ever-present. we resent them and welcome them in the same breath but the irony is lost on us in the midst of our angst. i don't know where we'll be after another four seasons but i know it'll be where we're meant to be. so this is for you and for me, despairing and hoping against hope, questioning and confused, wearing our hearts comfortably on our sleeves but cowering behind confidence all the same, lost but still tethered to the world by a feeling that settles within us the same way a good song does, and maybe that's what this whole 'finding yourself' thing is]
YOU ARE READING
qasa'id
Poetrya collection of anthologies written in times of grief, boredom or need for attention. © ray ling [jupitired] all rights reserved