I am the form 

In the skirts of cold,

Toes nestled in the lake bed

As my pale arms stretch

on the murky water,

etched by hell

And expecting no less

But today

The ripples grow without wind,

lapping at my jaw

Cresting my ears

Dancing in rivulets of joy

to a cadence

of throaty murmurs

And I awaken,

Stretch my withered muscles

Feel the pop of every brittle joint

The thump of my heart

fills my chest

Hot blood 

Rushes my skin

I breathe.

Rising

Falling

Building 

a rhythm

Against the water

And open my eyes

A black bird glides low

Buried in his helmet of dry skin,

His beady gaze burns down on me

As if to tell me that 

his life is death

Not mine.

A second punctuates

The thought 

his wings clap,

Feather fingers splayed,

And he rises high, 

Leaving me

To the murmur beside me 

That becomes a voice

A voice that becomes words

Something real

Something human 

Something that changes 

Everything

I raise my head

From the water

Hair heavy 

Neck straining

My fingers curl,

Find another’s

And a long moment pulls

The air from time

songs twitter from the trees

Fishtails flick my calves

Our fingers thread

Together

And lock

I turn my head

Look into the sky 

In your eyes

And I am soft again