Perhaps you thought me nothing but an imbecile,
my mane wild, eyes bloodshot, entirely unruly and untamed.
I see you, standing there so poised, so regal
and I beg you to look closer, to see beyond the beast you think I am.
I would never think to reach for you with these hands—
for I know my place on this totem pole,
but if I could I would hold your hands to beg you to understand.
The burden of a creature who bound by longing for something more—
something beyond this wild form,
something more than the intricate love of Ixion and Nephele—
Is a torture more punishing than you could imagine.
I see your strength, your conviction, and I tremble beneath it.
Not with fear, but with desire not even you can satisfy.
The desire to be more than this savage beastly form.
For I, like any other wild boar or dog, long for a specific intellect.
The kind only provided by the intricacies of humanity.
Your touch like petals against my skin
Brushing past in a whisper of warmth
Tulips blossom where you linger
Red and pink
Staining my skin
Your presence wraps around me
The trace of your mouth
Still blooming on mine
Soft and gentle
Like the slow awakening in late May
My strength unravels beneath your touch
Even in your absence
You remain a part of me
A part of the air I breathe
Soft blooms unfurling throughout the afternoon
Bending and breaking to face the light
Leaning towards the sky, only to wither in its glow
Leaving only shadows of where they once were
Each trace a broken promise
My color draining
Once a blazing crimson
Now blushing gently
Into a pale sigh of pink
Leaving me wilted
Yet my craving for you
Inevitable
You slip away
My petals fall, one by one
A reflection of what was once whole
Until I am nothing but a stem
Fragile and weak
Quietly yearning for your warmth
A desire that remains
When all else has withered
Editor of Penumbra Weekly: Anika Vaidheeswaran
Guest Editors: Claire Silverman and Amelia Bargas
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