the cardinal
bright red over the
yellowed grass
a crimson afterimage
slowly fading
in flakes of rust
smothering
a new day spent
regressing down
through memories
in sepia flashes
of terminal ache

the tarnished key
clatters against
the brass tumblers
in the ivory lock
a momentary freedom
as that cardinal
darts from my chest
a heady freedom
after so long spent
throwing itself
against the bone cage
that kept it far
from the open skies
over a land of ruin

i whisper my love
into the steam rising
over the black coffee
sending caffeinated
daydreams to tangle
in the silken strands
of childhood pain
carefully interwoven
in monofilaments of
last ditch wonder
flashes of lavender
intermingle with
vermillion rays
deftly defying desire
in a daredevil catastrophe
of indecent design
to go ignored once more