my heart dresses in black lace when I slide beads slowly through my practiced hands their surfaces warm worn smooth against calloused fingertips it is the tender tissue of my throat that stings as I murmur their names one by one in order of loss head bowed low in the candlelight no omissions are allowed … Continue reading Prayer for the Dead – Christine E. Ray
i wear my losses on a chain ‘round my neck copper silver gold charms containing locks of stranded memory tied with red ribbon sometimes they are featherweight sometimes they weigh the world sharp edges prick at my tender skin i have carved regret deep in the palms of my hands heather oak bittersweet smoky from … Continue reading Lockets – Christine E. Ray
In memory of Dylan an image of you lingers at the edges of my vision lurking waiting patiently to catch me unaware punch me in the solar plexus hard fierce I see you straddling no-man’s land at top of the jungle gym late afternoon sun basking your golden curls into a halo feet firmly planted … Continue reading Peter Pan – Christine E. Ray
my heart a block of sculptured ice buried deep behind steel ribs hung with icicles offering dagger-sharp protection an arctic palace of empty chambers where glacial winds flash freeze unwanted feelings blow them deep into dungeons blood is crystallized in frozen nitrogen veins heartbeat slowed like a wound down pocket watch my dreams haunted nightly … Continue reading The Heart of Winter – Christine E. Ray
I tell myself it is unexpected snow in tonight’s forecast Mother Nature’s cruel April Fools’ joke that makes my joints ache chills me to the bone not loss not mortality edging ever closer breathing frost lilies onto the back of my neck etching ice crystals roses onto my heart © 2018 Christine Elizabeth Ray – … Continue reading April Fools Day
Originally published by the Sudden Denouement Literary Collective my heart a block of sculptured ice buried deep behind steel ribs hung with icicles offering dagger-sharp protection an arctic palace of empty chambers where glacial winds flash freeze unwanted feelings blow them deep into dungeons blood is crystallized in frozen nitrogen veins heartbeat slowed like a … Continue reading The Heart of Winter
Brave & Reckless 