sap pumping

through ballerina legs

hairy like coconut

in twisted embrace

stuck

i am stuck
my mind is gum on my shoe
old gum
not that freshly chewed
supple cloud of spearmint
but that rigid
immobilized wad
of unimaginative big red
turned more pink
than red--
the red was so uninspired
it slowly slinked away
like your lover in the morning
inching closer and closer
to the edge of the bed
so they may roll off
nail the dismount
and score a perfect 10

dark willows

widowed by men, i married dark willows
climbing up their flaking bark
we promised to be together

until death
until flood
until disease and quaked earth

their leaves stroked my wispy hair
and my dry, mud-caked skin

i told them most of my secrets
the nuts, bolts, inner workings
and serrated wheels of my mind

they built for me
the most sought after canopy bed
sturdy, yet expansive and free

together we lay under it
sharing the sunlit sheets
slowly drifting
into dreams

doctor

you say there are no haloes
but i see them clear and bright
you say there is no hope for her
but you have never
seen her fight
trails of red
across black night
branches reach out to aid her
leaves gently plaster
up her wounds
for her journey somewhere greater