Tempted

yellow button eyes. scraped blue skin. she listens. for a choice. amongst all those decisions. chasing the world with her broken matchstick. the dim of the flame becoming apparent. as the hour resolves to an empty mattress. a stutter of touch. to prove we are alive. a whisper of breath to imply that dying would be no different.

there is courage in the needle. pennies on the rim of the well. simple wishes. steal their courage from copper and desperation. the deaf thunder of the lonely. traces her stare. in the sway of when. numbers dared not betray. determined poets. and eager madmen.

the bright colors. the simple victims. of stubborn flowers.

the empty garden. alone with the snake.