I wish they knew

all the ways

they had bruised

my soul.

I wish they could

remove their sinews

from my vertebrae,

light shiny beacons

of joy

along my backbone

so I could see

pinpoints

of illumination.

I was nothing but a shadow

A patch of dark

In the light

I was nothing but a shadow

I was afraid

Of fading into the night

I was nothing but a shadow

Although my heart was heavy

My smile was bright

I was nothing but a shadow

But your beautiful eyes

Made me want to fight

I was nothing but a shadow

And you're so good

You made me remember what's right

I am nothing but the light

My eyes shine bright

I am no longer a shadow

Fading into the night

In the setting sun

against burned mulberry leaves

a canary sings:

bars of some gold melody

suddenly freed from the cage

( — elsewhere — )

Amidst the temples

and ancestral memories

tamandua thrive

on an ant infested mound

weilding tongues like spatulas

( — erstwhile — )

There in the blue green

between tumbling kelpweed

a workhorse, a seahorse

continues on its home spree

leading a herd of small fry

( — likewise — )

Returning to caves

in the solemn sonar dark

bats descend to rest

like upside down sleeping bags

hanging among stalactites

#Animals #Tankas #Challenge #4Takes

My hair whips

Around my face

As I fall

From the depths of space

I fall through a cloud

It wasn't what I thought

I thought falling

Would be nice and soft

I can only hope

That you'll catch me

Before I hit the ground

And drown in the sea

Spooky blood moon

fiery pumpkins

fevered footprints

spooky haunted house

bewitching hour

silhouette of Halloween.

#Challenge #WatchOutTheWitchesAreOut #ItsGonnaGetYou

Undulating snake of pressure

coiled sinew around my neck

poised to strike my center

hissing with strident warning

paralytic fear of failure

threatening future path

foreboding sense winding

entrapping me within

bizarre guttural sounds

escape from my belly

as pressure grows stronger

and fangs sink and engorge.

#SnakesAlive #SnakeEyes #Pressure