Popcorn

my hair falls like clumps of tears

ready to be set free,

like chains held over my head.

i tied my hair into knots

of familial expectations,

the knot’s been untied,

and the cage has opened

I remember that warm summer night,

we argued about who could jump farther off the swings,

we were only 14.

It down poured,

they didn't set the fireworks off,

you didn't care,

neither did I.

An apple is

A reminder

A token to bring you back

To the day in the orchard

When you were six years old

Sitting on your dad's shoulders

Reaching for an apple

That you had decided was perfect

A single spark, a fleeting breath, 

This wild, precious life, defying death. 

I'll chase the sun on windswept shore, 

And seek the truths I can't ignore. 

Empty swing set; no laughter now.