how to feel mortal again

T.N

i. kiss a boy 

with a mouth full of strawberries,

pink pulp the color of delirium.

when his body caves in like a feather

to the waves, you will be the one left

to choose. standing at a precipice,

you will plummet faster than you can remember

your wings.

ii. sing at a funeral

for a body veiled in moss.

sorrow ripples across faces. let it echo

in the decaying stone of your mind. 

the people will cry for a god

woven from the fabric of stories and myth.

let their faith speak to your ears, even as

you are the past they yearn for.

iii. pick a flower. 

look at the wilted one next to it

and claw the soil that birthed them both.

turn the petals in your palm and breathe

the slices of daylight. know that regret comes

after the rain and find comfort in selfishness.

the pleasure of pleasing yourself.

that night, hold the ripped stem

as you count the stars: know that you hold the sun

in your palms and that is enough.

iv. scrawl wishes on your legs

so your skin will remember their touch. 

if you press hard enough with a crescent-nail,

ichor will rust in the holes and turn to blood.

this is how you free yourself:

know that not everything will come true

and that this is the only truth

worthy to be carved into your bones.