potency

blue face, gold heart

you are glowing.
both of my sisters' bodies shining
like gold in the blue darkness
of our midnight room.
all i can hear is their steady breath,
see the darkened swirls of painted walls intake with us,
feel your fingers combing
through my hair. (my golden hair)

we have been zombies in
hollow shells these few weeks.
every dead word comes out of
cobwebbed mouths.
our hearts are hurting,
but we can't feel them.
and we will touch each other's faces,
gather up the glowing-
but its not there anymore.

then, as the deadness had coated us
in white concrete a day too long,
we broke
-in cracks -in a firework
of raging bellies-
until our eyes leaked glitter,
our hands soared among canvas.
and, as we came down from the joy
of our ability to breathe again,
we sat
breathing,
watching the moonlight dance
it's ballet across the bedsheets.

i felt the wave wash over me,
salt in cheeks,
and tried not to let the tears well up.
but they did as they always do
and i wasn't afraid of them.
for this night- warm hearts, blue faces
was one of recalling rejoice
to our breath (our collective breath)
bringing us through the night.