it doesn't take another
streak of chartreuse in your
hair to find soul.

it doesn't take another
tattoo burning on your thinnest skin
or nine more piercings to let
the soul seep in.

even the hand-sewn
sequins covering miss usa
hide some pretty (no
pun) soulful scars.
yeah, that's me hiding
behind another metaphor.

we've all seen some ugly
ashes we bought as
flowers in the produce aisle.
we lost days, years
we lost loves.
in a literal sense.

or died ourselves.
and by some prayer
someone made us breathe again.

we have and
we haven't
visited graveyards.

we have
betrayed ourselves
and come to find
a simple grace again.

we learn to forget
how to dwell.
we pour water in a vase.

21 feb 01 blndrmar01 M Madison