Castle Keep

There
nestled in thickets
                        and nettles
‘neath the shadow
of the dusty mountain,
my paper castle grew.

Quietly held by arms of pine
I hide there
in the changing seasons
            of orbiting hearts.

Creased, crumpled
   and torn, battlements
   bend in the breeze and ramparts
      fold under the weight of your sparrows.

      Bleak chambers hold my secrets
  and surround the room
where I guard

      my treasure.

 
My hands
held up to the faint
glow of a single candle
that burns with unspoken yearning.