TheCourtRose

In my dream the toilets were clogged and overflowing Our father, in thigh rubber boots, managed to slosh through the shit without much of a blink I was gagging My skin crawled with lice, through my hair and over my lips While you looked on, as if none of this had anything to do with you In reality I kissed your head when we were in the courtroom Wanting so much to reach the you underneath chemical tracks and unhinged doorways The stale smell of baby powder hit my nose I wondered the last time you showered I was your sister for a split second with my lips against your hair But you're really a husk of once-was, never-will-be, has-beens I can't give up on you I can't save you When we visited our father in the hospital you were too weak to walk in shoes you chose because mother said you were too skinny just the day before I carried you in the parking garage so your feet would stop hurting I love you I...

My daddy has a bright blue heart Sometimes bleeding, always beating My mama's heart is shy and takes some coaxing, but her mind is sharp green glass My blood runs orange, though and it leaks into my smile at night I am a sunbeam swallowed on a moonlit road Sometimes these golden hands get frustrated, get insistent, become so sure of the right way they get in their own way I have my daddy's heart, my mama's mind, but my blood belongs to me When it's too much When the world slaps me across the face My heart shivers and bows, my mind winks it's emerald eyes and these golden fingers wipe away orange light dripping from my lips