peony practice

peony, oxeye daisy, foliage and rose.

i practice their names like i practice how to breathe

without you. i smell you still upon the covers, upon my skin.

citrus, moss and burnt wood. your magic seeped under

my skin into the blood. hypnotising my senses and made

me light, made me forgetful and soft. no regrets.

i only wish, i had kept my eyes open in order to see your guise slip

like a big blousy peony petal to the earth.

affairs of the heart

i enter the arena on my own terms

looking for what, i do not know

but I’m open and caring, wise and full

the reveal i did not see coming, the betray

harsh and bitter like garlic, it was his insecurities

still i’m the one pinned to the board

like a specimen, like a freak, like a crushed butterfly

grief shedding like leaves

appreciating the magic and sorrow

as it should be –

surrender and transform