I hold it in my hand

eternity breaking

like glass

like bark in frigid winter

tiny pits of shadow wandering off a snowy cliff

it lives only in twilight

a pale man without a body

never swallowed by the earth

broken by wind and water

just a dream

shadow on the wall

clutching crystal I sense it

permanence unfading, God

vermillion creeks on my hands

founded on empty words

they keep us warm at night

shut the pale world out

as we hoard rubies

splatter scarlet on a grey canvas

a dying flame

reflected in fragile crystal

that's all, a reflection

drop

shatter

bleed