Today's poem is by Traci Brimhall

Hating the Phoenix is
       

hating a myth and hating a myth is hating a swan's wind
under my dress and a wind under my dress is a confession
and a confession is dyeing my hair sangria and hair dyed
sangria is a sadness and sadness is a sane emotion
and a sane emotion is candling an egg and egg candling is
flirting with a god and flirting with a god is a rising and not
the pain it requires and the pain it requires is a valentine
and a valentine is kindling for February and kindling in
February is a playlist of old pop songs and a playlist
of old pop songs is a seance of ghosts and a seance
of ghosts is sexing the shadows and sex in the shadows
is bullying your name to my lips and your name on my lips
is a fire's career in hunger and a fire's career in hunger is
a tax paid in ashes and a tax paid in ashes is a marriage
and a marriage is Forgive me and forgiving me is another
weeping and another weeping is a pair of wings beating
red and breathless beneath my dress, alive enough to burn.

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Copyright © 2023 Traci Brimhall All rights reserved
from 32 Poems
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission