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make this one a dream
uncomfortable and tangled,  
fill it with dread and ecstasy.
chaotic with images:
a tornado in an hourglass.
a shimmering absinthe light.
a freakshow. the sea on fire.
a television in the darkness.
running up the stairs
a hand on your shoulder just
before you slam the door.

who are we to judge
each others traumas?
every affliction
mutilates in its own time
in its own way
leaves its own scars.
there is enough emptiness
for us all.

remember the hot tub in the snow.
the stars and the frozen lake,
all of us floating in the fog
laughing and breathing underwater.
invincibility needs only faith
in itself. the bottom of the lake
says we need more words for darkness.
the nerve endings surprised by the breaking
of the ice. the brain explodes with fireworks.
the mind awake. running back across
the road, barefoot crunching the snow,
they cheer from the hot tub.
music playing. an ample fire inside.
youth is nothing but a dare you know you won’t lose.
where do the words come from you thought
before you started.

make this one a dream
uncomfortable and tangled,  
fill it with dread and ecstasy.