forgiving the alphabet

elbow aches
gunshot clouds
& boys who

drowned wolves & taught birds to breath underwater.
twice now, though half forgotten.
i fight inconsistence with inaccessibility.
decisions lackluster

a porcupine needle
emulating
my spine.

rain hands
privately
excave-ating
saltwater tears
the weave of my skirt,
too large
& you slip right through.

blowing firework flowers
on the curtain
i think of you.

in the shower
the water pulls
at my necklace as though it were a living thing.

& it will
gather at your aristocratic
cheek bones.
but sadly
my fingers are puckered

leafless, blue petals.
the girl picked a flower
the girl donned a reptile skin to better commute.
irradescant, tapered.
the girl found a feather
& dropped it into her mouth.