Inkpaw

Please 
let me out of this flower stem prison 
pull me out of this pit of hardened metal 
set me free from the bars of hatred that surround me
that consume me 
help me please i beg of you

the sound of the many sheets of paper
being stacked
and unstacked
stapled 
and sorted 
in the endless cuebicles that surround me
inside the filing cabinet confines of my brain 

spiky with bright green fuzz
and a beautiful leather handle
papers spilling out the sides 
and large brass buckles half undone 
a smear of dark orange paint on the bottom left corner

life before
was a light purple
mildly gray 
with a splash of color and light
spread across everything 
in a cascade of normality 
and listlessness
a few speckles of other colors 
here and there 

tides 
the breath of the world
fading
in and out
the sea foam cresting
as the gulls above 
cry out 
and the fish bellow
swim relentlessly 
flowing
and vast
this great body is