Autumn Leaves

Gouache on mixed media paper. Completed 04/10/2024⁣. Poem below by me.

I run upon a road of fractured bones
black wings pressed upon my eyes
heavy steps turning to ash
to choke the fog behind me
I fall through the trees
down into the orchard where lost souls grieve
where birds no longer sing
where only ghosts whisper my name.
I fall to my knees
look up to the empty sky
and let tears drip between my fingers
like burning stars
mourned by tortured lips
ready to burst
I tear open my rib cage
and howl at the sky
at the whole world
where everyone is a liar
where spider webs catch moonlight
and spin it into dust
to cloak my splintered frame
a howl that roars like thunder
that will steal cursed hearts
on the weeping wind
and spill their blood on my feet
it sinks to embrace the earth
and grows thorns to lace my wounds
until only scars remain
as scripture for the dead
I will brush the leaves from my eyes
remove the mask of stone
rise as tall as the trees
until I am born once again.