Pearls
by Lisa M. Cole
I am the lady in the water,
looking up through a squinted eye;
a warped eye; an ash eye.
I watch as the machine of the moon
drones on, spilling its sparks across the sky, &
the stars flee from aching.
I open like the cave of a coiled wound—
a blood soaked flower—God blessing
the empty womb of my remembering.
Forgive me Father, for I have sinned.
I lay myself out—a string of pearls.
I am stifled; I am a fiend; I am exiled—
my body a weapon ready to fire.
Lisa M. Cole is the author of Heart Full of Tinders & Dreams of the Living, both of which are forthcoming from ELJ Publications. Lisa has also written a variety of chapbooks including The Love Machine from Yellow Flag Press, and Living in a Lonely House from Dancing Girl Press. You can find a full list of her publications at her website: lisamcole.blogspot.com.