islands of light

i am mortal
   yearning for rest
      like a wounded
animal

   a resident
      in a house
         burning to
   ashes

   sick & shivering
      with fears &
pain.

i am tethered to
   this body i
      love & the

   earthly seasons &
      the silence in
         side my human
bones.

gently, i ac
   cept this rotting
      frame this sleepless
agony.

i cannot es
   cape the tears of my
      undoing

   & surrender to the
      loving anguish &
         the holy
dark.

last night, i stepped
   beyond my nakedness &
      gazed into the mirror
         of my closed
   eyes.

   faceless figure
      formed of powdered
         stars

   galaxies
      of endless
   wonder.

   this is who i
      am, without a face or
         name

   these are the islands of
      light of which my
         heart is
made.

living or dead
   i shall irresistibly
      bloom in
spring.