Solstice
The lit lilac sprig to is raised to frigid lips and I pull a drag
Of a lavender cigarette, and then exhale sage
To cleanse my breath.
It is now that my pores sprout emerald petal prisms
Through that temporary film of permafrost;
Budding gems spread like glistening ivy, and gleam under a still-cold sun.
Can barren skin continue to erupt with life?
I long to kiss fertility back across the planes of me, yet I fear
That this year’s crop will yield decaying fruit and nothing more.
Of a lavender cigarette, and then exhale sage
To cleanse my breath.
It is now that my pores sprout emerald petal prisms
Through that temporary film of permafrost;
Budding gems spread like glistening ivy, and gleam under a still-cold sun.
Can barren skin continue to erupt with life?
I long to kiss fertility back across the planes of me, yet I fear
That this year’s crop will yield decaying fruit and nothing more.
Vanessa Maderer was a young reader turned editor, writer, and finally enthusiastic poet who has recently debuted her first chapbook entitled, ‘Cusp of Dusk’ after a decade of revision. Now, she has an insatiable appetite for new ideas and themes, and can be found most easily through Twitter at @MadererV.