vertebrae

love rests in your hands like an eagle
who suddenly settled upon
the solitary home of sensitive skin.
she reads your palms
like road maps, tracing the
outlines of history. and her claws
cut to the bone, but you bleed out
the pain and clear your heart
for the promise of flight, the
freedom to let yourself
go.

we found each other chasing the sky,
waiting for stars to form from
the warm, dark air. on our way there,
we caught birds. and they reminded us
that our minds defy gravity,
our lungs embrace the wind,
our bodies know no fear of
falling.