substance

substance

in my mouth i hold heaven

& watch the gold of sparkle in persistence

& dynamite

i chew the rind of each star as a way to

cleanse my palate

& when all the dreamy residue is sweet

i lap the ends of the world

i crack my bones with sacrifice

& let every dove make a nest inside my skull

& fly my wishbones of wisdom to any soul

cracked to receive it

i use my heart as a way to keep time of all the love

too big to fit on the face of a phone

& then praise every second of release

i roux myself brown

& taste myself thick flat over a bowl of rice.

& then i leave myself

as an offering. to myself. on the altar. of own spirit.

inside my belly

is the word kindness

& i do my best

to bring her to term.

circle the date

what is a holiday exactly

if we are not allowed to be holy

if we are not allowed to worship

our fathers bruised skins

what is this celebratory song

if there are bombs

& blasted parakeets

feathering our words

how many bells does it

take to ring despair

how many dancing grinches

can you send to a sorrowful mother

to a child snaggled with memory

to a sibling pulled at the root (rotting)

to a man robbed of his only

grain of lineage

to the rice on the stove

that never boiled

to the penny you don't

have to your name