My stomach churns

Red is the symbol of intolerance

He says it's great

The insincerity of his words

Boiled my heart

Today I rise

He wants to build a wall

I stand against him

And for those who can't stand

I stand.

If not now, when

When asking how, do

The story that unravels from inside

lingering thoughts collide

To form the story that cannot die

For those who write on napkins

on screens or perhaps even sing

to capture a thought, a beautiful thing

They are courageous, shy, never dull

For new worlds exist in their skulls

I was

just a leaf

a caterpillar had eaten

I was never the same

afterwards

I fell and

Ever since I've collected

myself on the ground

I had to grapple with

loneliness for the fist time

And I feel my edges

curl yellow and

I am in agony

His pale wings

were burdened

without her.

Hell was cold.

Her spirit

flickering.

And somehow

they did. But,

who can say?

They exist

in their own

dimension.

---

Adam and

lovely Eve

love so strong.

Now that they're

together

once again

it won’t be

so cruel

side by side.

I had won the village lottery and was declared 'Princess' which brought instant tears to my eyes. I waved to the cheering crowd as I was led to my throne adorned with pearls and drenched in red wine and the servants lifted my throne. Like a welt, the skin on my wrist reaching down to my elbow was tender. The markings went in jagged directions and I lightly traced the skin distractedly for a few minutes. Or at least, it was an attempt to distract myself from the smell of sulfur and sweat of the men who carried me towards the volcano to face my destiny as the 57th sacrifice in our village's month-long festival.