I felt at home walking into the thicket.
The humid air felt like a warm breath on the back of my neck.
The branches waved frantically at the sky in a panic.
Better call your daddy,
Ole man's got the death rattle.
One swift kick backward with death's sharp hand pulling me backward from high up, standing above the clouds.
Dreamt of placing lily of the valley in a trail.
Sitting on my grandma's porch during summer rain.
A pile of dusty books, creating a staircase to reach all hidden memories, but it's all the same.
Collecting morning dew in my hands, thinking I could revive you.

I walked up a hill, the grass had recently been mowed in perfect crescents.
Swaying purples and trailing greens in the dusk where I'm holding my shadow close.
My eyes rolled back as lightening hit the ground, I fell back.
Open eyes, I knew.
One last breath and I lay down your head.
Nothing to claim, once it belongs to the dead.
I felt my heartbeat kicking in my teeth.
Turning off the lights so the neighborhood kids can finish their game of Sneaks.

Saree Nyxi
May 2017