amphibi.us

I was trying really hard to break curfew
but kept coming home
and chopping my hair off.
We lived in a cave in a sandbox
stiff against shovel and windstorm.
I was not crying when it got dark;
Still it stayed dark.

That bright wind was not ceasing.
I would eat sand granules
to help my nails grow.
If I was working, I was restrained.
If I was breathing, I stretched out flat.

Now I have sand in my lungs and spiders in my teeth.

Now I get a lot of sleep and I
know not to question the reason
I dreamt of building.
Today I learned to make bridges
with saliva between my teeth
and my mouth, it never dries.

© Christine Pemberton, 2010