beyond their reach

by spootasia tomoe

--

--

metaphorical wings spread among

hypothetical angels

who would rather feast upon

your sins

than listen to your confession

--

you can

soar beyond their grasp

but never escape

the grip of their words around your heart

--

you can wear your jeans like a barrier

and your coat like armor

but your scarf won’t prevent them

from slitting your throat

in the end

--

your soft velvet hats will not keep them

from picking apart the contents

of your skull

your thoughts will always be for them

is it right?

is it wrong?

can I manipulate my twisted self

further, beyond my boundaries

to fit their ill-conceived design?

--

they can tear off your wings with their eyes

they can stab at your heart

with their haughty laughs

yet, that doesn’t mean you should run

that you should hide

that you should use your precious time

to beg

instead of rise

--

let them shoot you down

I’ll let them shoot me too

we’ll fall together,

you and I,

into our most uncommon blue

--

see, I can make it rhyme

and you can make it work

and even if we die,

even if they rip out all our insides

and strew them across the floor

use them to bar the door to peace of mind

it doesn’t matter

we didn’t go down without a fight

and to our dreams

still we hold on tight

--

I don’t know about you

but the nerve endings in my back

still pulse with life

still feel those wings

still beat in time

to the music we make together

that fills our ears and hearts until

there is no room left for their

contempt

to try to take root and hold and kill

do you feel

like flying today?