The Phoenix

I am the spark that burns the forest down,

I am the forest.

I am the dog barking in a yard,

I am the choke chain.

I gnaw my nails down to the wick-

The blood stains my teeth.

I scratch the flesh of my arm-

The blood pools in dots like weeds.

The guilt is beginning to choke me.

So, I offer myself up on an unholy altar.

I pay the piper-

I burn from the inside out.

The flames lick me clean,

The heat melts my sin.

I will rise from the ashes,

I will be reborn.

#prose #poetry #self