bare-bones

birth and death all within the hour

—mother peeled me oranges
oh how sweet
oh how lovely
i've been killing ravens
bad omens aren't meant to be seen
so i handled my sling-shot blindly
oh how crude
oh how mean

if stones can kill a bird
then what of me?
can orange slices kill me?
see an infant moon
she doesn't weep
no, not for me
she glows on hilltops
and stirs the seas with a silver teaspoon
and a werewolf's instincts too
what of you?
when you were born
what did you do?

my mother showed me sunsets
oh i cried
and over the hilltops
something died
the ravens forgave me
for throwing all the stones
i still don't forgive myself
i'm sorry to those little birds who know
so much more
than i could ever dream

maybe if i glued together feathered wings
and sewed them to my shoulder blades tightly
i could know
but my fathers fly down hills everyday
and bruises are all they have to show

-RB