Blood Flight

I carefully rearranged my senses

So they could have a conversation.

Taught them to switch places;

From each pore in my skin grew shimmering eyes!

And fingerprints filled the eye sockets.

From the ears grew two tongues

And I sang for people passing a strange song.

Told them stories without moving my lips!

(Mouth half-open, still)

They assumed the words came from themselves;

These unfamiliar thoughts,

And I sang to them

Such is the speech of the body:

The ribs painted their fingernails.

(Black! Of course)

And on the edges of the cunt

Grew little teeth!

The clitoris, that great sphinx, opened its eye:

So many blind years, acting oedipus

Meanwhile the vocal chords were listening

For the wind howling,

Whispering a familiar language of breath –

Secret tales for them to learn.

Then from my veins came a strange itching,

And I felt a pull through the shoulder blades.

I should have seen it coming!

The blood was itching!

And etched a hole at the nape of the neck.

It flew out into the night

Like a long, red ribbon to the sky.

And up we went, blood and I, spread over the city.

The dark sky lay against my skin,

So close

Like an eyelid.